A Change In One's Destiny
by Usagi Muto
Summary: Yugi and his friends head off to Duelist Kingdom to retrieve Sugoroku's soul back from Pegasus. But on their way to the pier, they encountered someone that'll change their friendship forever, even their love towards each other. What challenges will await at the tournament? Will Yami find someone who's connected to his lost memories? Or is it all just an imagination?
1. Story's Quote

* * *

_How does it feel to love someone who,_

 _you remember ,_

 _but don't know?_

 _Can you learn from them?_

 _Or will they learn from you_?

* * *


	2. A Little Conversation

***Juuban 2:07am***

" _Usagi, I'm here. We're finally reunited at last... after all of these years... I missed you..."_

Usagi quickly woke up with a shocked face and wide eyes.

"Th-That voice... it came back... why won't it go away...," she thought as she grasped on her pink bunny bedsheets tightly, "... it's already the third time I heard it after I've gotten that invitation to Duelist Kingdom. Why... why won't it go away...!?"

Usagi looked out the window from bed and noticed it was still night. The star shined quite beautifully through the dark sky, competing against the brilliant light of the moon. She heard the door open from the left side of her room and found Ikuko Tsukino, her mother, peaking through.

"Usagi, my dear, what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Usagi shook her head and gave her a small smile.

"Nothing to worry about mother. I just felt a bit troubled... that's all."

Ikuko turned the lamp on and sat on the bottom edge of the bed, gently grabbing on Usagi's cold hand resting on the bedsheet.

"My little bunny, I know that tomorrow will be a big day for you," she comforted, looking at Usagi with tired eyes due to the lack of sleep she had, "but it will be a day that will change you forever. You're going to move to Domino City and live with your father's best friend, Sugoroku, join into Domino High School and finally make friends, and most importantly, compete in Duelist Kingdom."

"Yes mother but I don't feel like I'm ready to leave you yet," Usagi stuttered with light tears rolling down on her cheeks, "I can't do this. Not after... Dad's... death."

Her mother got closer and caressed her cheek with her warm hand.

"Usagi... how many times have we went over this? Your father's death happened many years ago but you still keep thinking about it," Ikuko noted. "I know it's hard to move on with life when your loved one is no longer by your side and believe me, I really do miss him as well. But please know this, my bunny. I don't want you to stay here and be kept away from seeing the beautiful world out there. You must leave for your own good—!" *Loud coughing*

Ikuko began bursting loud coughing from her mouth, alerting Usagi about her medication that she hasn't taken yet.

"Mother! Are you okay?," Usagi asked, placing her hands on both of her mother's shoulders. "Want me to get your medication?"

Ikuko shook her head.

"No, no... don't worry about me, Usagi. I'll make sure to take my pills before I sleep, okay? But listen. I want you to do as I say and not complain. Please... that'll be something that will put a smile on my face after eight years of being a single mother..."

Usagi looked down on her bunny bedsheets in despair. She had so many doubts about this adventure she was heading to without her mother being with her.

"I... I can't! I can't leave you here! I don't know what might happen to you if I'm not here to take care of—!"

Ikuko placed both her hands on Usagi's thin shoulders and gave her a serious glare. Usagi knew that her mother didn't want to hear anymore nonsense coming from her mouth so she quiet down.

"I'll repeat myself once more for you to understand. I want you to do as I say and not complain. That also means to not have any doubts in yourself or on this adventure you're about to start. If you think you're not ready, then toughened yourself up and face those challenges with no fear! Do I make myself clear?"

Usagi wiped away her tears from her face and nodded.

"O-Okay, mother. If it makes you feel happy, then I'll do it! I don't want to be isolated anymore so I will finally meet new people to help me out in this journey. I won't longer be the shy and scared little girl I used to be!," she declared.

The mother smiled brightly and gave a big hug to her shy daughter. She was so glad that she her fear of the world was vanishing as they spoke.

"Thank you, my dear. This means so much to not only to me, but your father as well," Ikuko whispered to Usagi's ear with her chin resting on her shoulder. "If he was here, his smile would be showing his gratitude for having such a kind and beautiful daughter. I'm sure you'll soon find someone as caring and handsome as your father to love you."

Usagi blushed to her mother's comment.

"M-Mother! Please... I'm willing to go on the journey but why do you need mention that...?"

"C'mon my dear! You can't possibly think you're going to be a better person without a special someone? I'm sure when you find him, he'll bow down to you as a knight in shining armor and pledge his loyalty to you to show his eternal love for you, the beautiful princess."

"B-But—!"

Before Usagi got a chance to say something else, Ikuko kissed her cheek and got up from her bed.

"Remember, that special someone you meet will change your life forever. He'll protect you at all costs and never forget a moment he spent with you. He'll help go through the toughest situations and never, **never** , leave your side," she informed as she headed towards the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, someone needs to get their beauty sleep."

With that, she had shutted the door with Usagi having a slightly confused expression on her face.

"A... special someone? Hm... I don't know if they would want someone like me...," she thought sadly, "I'm way too shy and I don't speak to much people except my parents. I wouldn't blame them if they find me as a complete weirdo. I might be the master female duelist but even with that reputation, I'm just a loner."

Usagi fixed her bedsheets and began lowering her back to the bed until she heard a strange voice. The voice didn't sound anything like the one she heard in her mind. This voice sounded much duller and serious. Usagi quickly stood up straight again, trembling with fear.

 _"Princess... you shouldn't fear of what awaits for you out there,"_ said the mysterious voice.

Usagi got startled to see a tall man just across the room, wearing a white long-sleeved robe made of linen and a thin white turban wrapped around the top of his head. There was golden ankh hanging on the man's neck which Usagi quickly recognize as one of the Millennium Items she had been studying about for a long time. What really creeped Usagi out was that the mysterious man in the room had his deep blue eyes staring at her like a criminal or worse; a serial killer.

"Who... who a-are you...?," Usagi asked in a nervous voice, covering up her face with the bedsheets, "Wh-What d-do you want?"

The man didn't reply. He surprisingly lowered himself down and bowed to her.

 _"Forgive me, princess, for approaching to you in such an unmannerly way. I have no intention of harming or threatening you in any way. I would think of myself as a horrible beast if I were to harm you."_

"P-Princess? I don't know what you mean...! You must be mistaken! I'm no princess! Just a normal teenage girl!"

 _"I'm sorry but I must disagree. I know you're the same princess from millennials ago. I can sense it... the same light... that saved Ancient Egypt..."_

"Saved...? Ancient... Egypt...?"

 _"Yes. I know how much you don't want to believe me but you truly are the princess from the past that saved our people. Along with our loyal and well-respected pharaoh. Him and you both saved us from the darkness overpowering Egypt. You two fought bravely during the deadly war and gave your lives away for the sake of your people in such a heroic way."_

"Me...? No... that can't be true! I don't want to hear this! Leave me alone—!"

 _"Just listen to me, princess. I promise that I won't hurt you at all. I can hear the screams of fright coming from your soft voice... please... just listen to this message."_

Usagi suddenly stopped trembling for a brief moment. She knew if he actually came to hurt her, he would've done it by now. To her surprise, when she slowly lowered the bedsheet that was covering her face, Usagi thought the mysterious man would already be besides her on the bed but instead, she found him on the same place with his eyes closed. She took deep breath and let go of the bedsheet.

"I-I'm terribly sorry...! It was so rude of me for shouting at you!," Usagi scampered apologetically. "I... will listen to what you have to say to me."

The man opened his deep blue eyes and gave a small smile at her.

 _"There's no need to apologise, my princess. I know how you felt so I can't blame you for being so frightened. But after seeing your true nature, I can point out that you still have that kind and shy soul of yours resting within you, even after all of these years. You might even be too kind for your own good."_

"Oh, well, I act respectfully towards my family and kind to someone who taught me to play a card game. I can't thank him enough,"she said. "Besides that, what else do want to tell me about this "message"?"

His smile then faded as he was about to explain the rest of his message to Usagi.

 _"Princess... I seemed to have already told you a bit of your past but I can see in your eyes that it is still too confusing to comprehend. But you'll understand once you meet him."_

"Yeah, you're right. All of this still seems so complicated to acknowledge since it just happened so suddenly," Usagi noted. "But please tell me... what do mean by, " _but you'll understand once you meet him"_ _?_ Who exactly is _"him?"_

 _"The pharaoh himself. You two were reincarnated here to the present to stop the evil that once caused destruction in the past. History is about to repeat itself once more and only you and the great pharaoh can put an end to the malicious power lurking in this world."_

"The pharaoh... I see. But... when will I meet him?"

 _"The time when you two will know each other shall be very soon. I have nothing else to share with so my time here has come to an end."_

The mysterious man began vanishing but Usagi still had many questions for him.

"Wait! I never got a chance know your name—!"

 _"Oh, my apologies. The name's Shadi... and... about this conversation... you probably won't remember at all once the sun's out."_

"What? Then how—?"

 _"Once you see my face again, you'll remember. And so will the pharaoh... till we meet again... princess."_

Shadi had disappeared without a trace and left Usagi with a confused face. She didn't know what just happened but she knew it would go away at morning. Somehow, Usagi wanted to learn more about her past that Shadi just informed her about.

"Wh-What was all that about...? Me? A princess? I wish he could've told more about the past and this pharaoh that'll meet up with me soon. I wonder what kind of person he is... maybe... he could be my—no, I doubt he'll be interested in me. But... I would really love to meet the pharaoh... and be friends with him."

* **Domino City 2:12am***

At the other side of town, in Domino City, somebody seemed to have the same problem of hearing strange voices in their heard. In a game shop called, "Kame Games," there was the teenage boy who defeated the Duel Monsters Champion, Seto Kaiba. His name is Yugi Muto. Along side with him was the spirit of the Millenium Puzzle, the other Yugi, as what he was called by his friends. No one knew if the spirit actually had name other than the "Other Yugi." Right now, Yugi was in a deep slumber, getting enough rest for the big tournament tomorrow while the spirit was wide awake, experiencing weird visions of a teenage girl with long golden hair.

 _"My love...it's been ages ever since we've seen each other again. I missed you with all of my heart..."_

The spirit shook his head to get the voice out of his mind. It kept speaking about missing him and how much she wishes to see his face.

"Urgh... that voice... it's desperate to see me somehow. Just what does she desire from me?"

Yugi slightly brought his back up from bed to see what was up with his partner again.

"What is it this time, other me? You've been like this for an entire week after receiving that invitation to Duelist Kingdom. Is there something you aren't telling me?," he asked, rubbing his tired eyes.

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, partner, but there seems to be vague visions going through my mind every night. Also, there's a voice that keeps telling me how much it misses me."

Yugi blinked twice in confusion. This was definitely something very odd to happen at a time like this.

"Visions and a voice? That's... strange. Do... do you think they must mean something?"

The spirit shrugged.

"I'm not sure, Yugi, but I still can't get why it's happening out of nowhere. I know we've already been through strange and dangerous situations a while back but something as unusual as this surely has to be happening for a reason."

"Yeah, but could that reason be?"

"I don't know, Yugi. For all I can say it's definitely something out of the ordinary."

Yugi nodded and began tucking himself in bed with his blue bedsheets. He rested his head on the pillow began closing his eyes.

"We can talk about this tomorrow, other me. So please get some rest and try to focus on what our goal is on the tournament."

"Yes, I will. Goodnight."

Yugi fell asleep while the spirit still couldn't get his mind off of the visions and the voice. What message were they trying to deliver to him?

"That girl... what does she want from me? Could she... be a wandering spirit like me? Just... who exactly is she...?"

 _"One won't always be enough to answer riddles. Sometimes it requires knowledge of what it says..."_


	3. The Beginning of An Adventure

* **Juuban 11:13am***

The sun brighten the dark room where Usagi was sleeping like a candle being lit before entering a sacred chamber hidden within an ancient pyramid.

 ** _*Knock! Knock!*_**

Usagi was awoken by a knocking noise on the door. She slowly got up from her bed, taking off the red ribbons she wore on her golden blonde hair. Usagi lifted the bedsheets and moved them aside as she placed her delicate feets on her cute pink bunny slippers.

"I'm coming!," she shouted across the room, walking towards the door with a dizzy head.

As she opened the door, Ikuko quickly gave her a hug and a bright smile.

"Usagi! Today's your big day!," she stated happily. "I've already pack all your clothes and shoes in your cute bunny suitcase that you just bought from last week at the mall. The other suitcase contains your important belongings. Here's your backpack for the journey that contains your deck, duel glove, star chips, a few blankets, and a couple of snacks!"

"Oh, why, thank you so much mother. But uh... don't you think that's a bit too much things to fit in a small bag like that?," Usagi pointed out, noticing the blankets were popping out.

"Hm? No, I don't think so. You'll have plenty of space left once all those snacks are inside your tummy!," Ikuko replied.

Usagi giggled. Her mother always seems to make her laugh and brightens her day.

Ikuko then took a closer at her daughter's eyes and noticed the dark circles underneath them. She raised her hand and rubbed the dark circles which made Usagi a bit uncomfortable.

"M-Mother—! What are you—?!"

"Usagi... you didn't get enough sleep, did you?," her mother asked. "I'm so sorry that I kept you up last night with that long conversation."

"N-No, mother, it's alright. I'm actually glad that we had that conversation yesterday because I'm feeling a bit more confident about the journey."

"Really? Well, I'm glad to hear that! But may I ask you something?"

"Uh, yes. Go ahead."

Ikuko lowered her hands from Usagi face placed them on her hips.

"Who were talking with last night after I left your room? I swear I heard two voices in there."

"Talking? No, I was sleeping. I don't remember anything about talking to anyone last night except you."

"Are you sure? Or are you just making stuff up?"

"Believe me, mother. I fell into a deep slumber right after you left. I would've told you about it if it was something really strange."

Ikuko nodded and took Usagi's luggage downstairs.

"Don't worry, my dear. I believe you. I probably didn't feel well last night since I still had to take my medicine," Ikuko noted. "Now please go change your clothes and come downstairs for breakfast. The bus will be coming soon."

"Okay! I'll be there in a sec!"

Usagi shutted her door from behind and gathered the clothes she was going to wear from her closet. Her clothes consisted of one black tank top, a short jean skirt, two white socks, and a pair of jet-black short-heeled boots. Usagi, of course, took a quick shower before she wore her refined clothes that were waiting on her bed. As Usagi finished dressing up, she combed her long and golden hair for about five minutes before she pulled it up into two symmetrical buns with hair flowing out of them. Usagi combed her bangs as well and was finally ready for the big day.

"Alright! Now I'm off to breakfast!," she stated, "I don't want my rice and eggs to get cold."

Usagi reached for the handle of the door and took one last look at her bright room she'd been in for over a decade.

"Goodbye, my beloved room of happiness."

She walked down the stairs, all excited yet scared about the big journey that was waiting right outside the door. Butterflies were flying like crazy in her stomach by every step leading to the way out of isolation. Usagi was just a few steps away of touching the floor the she noticed something outside the window of her house. It was the bus to Domino City!

"Ack! The bus! It's already here!," Usagi shouted shockingly, rushing down the stairs and taking her luggage with her. "I thought it was suppose to be here in twenty minutes!"

Ikuko had a puzzled face till she looked out at the window as well.

"Aah! Oh no! I didn't even realize what time it was when I got up!," Ikuko stated as she quickly packed Usagi's breakfast into a bento box and stuffed it into the small bag. "Go! Go! Go! That bus could leave in any minute now!"

"But mother—!"

"Just go! I love you so much and I hope you'll have a bright future!"

Usagi pushed the door and ran out of the house with her mother walking slowly out of the house, watching her daughter go onto the bus in such a hurry.

"Goodbye, mother! I will never forget all the things you did for me!," Usagi yelled before entering the bus.

"Farewell well, my bunny! I know you will make your father and I proud in that tournament! Don't ever lose hope!," Ikuko yelled back from the doorstep, waving gleefully.

Usagi nodded and entered the bus, taking a seat somewhere at the back and looked out the window to see her mother still waving. The bus began to move forward moderately as the door closes.

"Everyone, please stay seated. We are now heading off to Domino City for those who are going there. We'll be arriving to our destination in approximately five hours," the bus driver informed the passengers. "If you have any questions or concerns about the trip, feel free to ask me, your driver."

After that announcement, the bus drove away. Ikuko watched the bus take a turn to a corner and left the neighborhood with her daughter. She coughed again like usual but this time, she was shocked to see what was on her hand when she covered her mouth.

"Blood... so... I see I won't be living for much longer...," Ikuko thought, closing the door as she entered the house. "I should've told Usagi about my condition worsening... but that'll only make her want to stay here even more. She had to leave for the sake of her future. I didn't want to trap her here in a realm of no communication of the world."

 _"Usagi... I probably won't be here anymore once the tournament is over... but... please make some friends at least... that'll form a smile on my face after eight long years...!"_

 ***Domino City 3:23pm***

"C'mon Yugi! Let's get going now!," shouted Jonouchi, one of Yugi's best friends. "We gotta get to the pier before it gets crowded with duelists!"

All of Yugi's friends were waiting for him outside of the game shop named, "Kame Games" in Domino City. The teenagers that are part of the friendly gang are:

Jonouchi Katsuya: A very bright and boastful blonde who practically loves to hangout with anyone he's friends with. Although Jonouchi wasn't invited to Duelist Kingdom, Yugi gave him one of his star chips to him to participate. Jonouchi has one important goal in the tournament to accomplish and in order to achieve that goal, he must win.

Anzu Mazaki: She's a really nice and friendly brown-haired teenage girl. Anzu enjoys hanging around with Yugi and his friends anytime and is usually calm but if anyone dares to anger her for some reason, she won't hold back. Unless, if it isn't that troubling, she'll try to hold back the flames. Also, Anzu can be quite bossy a couple of times to her friends. She's known as the "concern" mother of the group.

Honda Hiroto: He's like a brother to Jonouchi since they've been friends from middle school. Both of them used to bully students together when it was only the two of them but ever since they became friends with Yugi, they sure did change a lot. Honda learned how it wasn't right to be rude to others if they weren't being rude to him. Eventually, the brunette became very loyal towards his best buds and never disrespected others the same way he did to Yugi.

Bakura Ryou: He recently became part of Yugi's group of friends last year. Bakura joined Domino High School as a new student and my, he was quite popular among the girls in the first day. Literally. You would see him walking around the school with girls following him, offering their bento lunches. Bakura was flattered by the girls compliments to him about his cute brown eyes and the luxury of his white hair. However, he never found an interest in girls. Bakura's main interest was in the sacred items known as the Seven Millennium Items. He would do anything to know the secrets behind them, especially to the secrets of the Millennium Ring, one of the sacred items he owned.

"I'm coming guys! Just let me pack my things real quick!," Yugi shouted back from the top window of the game shop.

"Okay, but you should've done it yesterday!," Honda replied.

Yugi finished putting in some snacks and a few games in his school backpack for the tournament. Before he locked his room with the keys, he left the videotape on the table of the room and took his deck.

"Sorry Grandpa but this trip might be too dangerous if I bring you along. I promise I'll get your soul back from Pegasus!," Yugi declared.

"Don't worry, Yugi. You are my grandson, after all. I know you'll prevail in the next duel against Pegasus!," Sugoroku answer from the screen of the videotape.

With that, Yugi ran to the door and closed as he began walking down the stairs in a rush. He finally came downstairs and opened the front door with everyone looking a little impatient.

"Took you long enough, Yugi! Now let's go!," Jonouchi stated.

"Wait! Let me do something first before we leave."

Yugi took out a sign from his bag and hung it up on the door knob. The sign said, "Please Leave Your Belongings Here Close Door With Lock." He then placed a golden key under the door mat. Everybody else simply stared at him with a questioning look.

"Yugi, what's this for?," Anzu asked, checking the sign.

"This? I'm sorry for not telling you guys about it earlier but Grandpa's best friend, Kenji, has a daughter that'll be living with us today."

"Daughter? Eh, I don't like the idea of a little kid running around the game shop," Jonouchi noted. "You'll probably find her ripping all your cards."

"Oh, don't worry, Jonouchi. She's the same age as all of us."

"Wait—! You mean she's sixteen?!"

"Yeah! What about it—?"

Jonouchi threw an arm around Yugi's neck in surprise and brought his face a little close to his.

"How does she look? Is she cute? Does this girl know how to play Duel Monsters too?," Jonouchi asked, mumbling all his questions to Yugi. The others were pretty weirded out.

"Hold on, Jou! I haven't met her yet!"

Jonouchi then released Yugi and was confused how he didn't know who this girl was.

"Huh? What do you mean you haven't met her yet?"

"Well, the thing is that she's extremely shy about meeting people so she was kept inside her home for practically her whole life."

"Damn... that's pretty boring."

"Yeah... but her reason for staying in so long is quite sad. It's better if I don't talk about it."

"I see... but has your grandpa ever told you anything about her at least?," Anzu wondered.

"Hm... I think he did! I remember him telling me about just yesterday that she's participating in Duelist Kingdom," Yugi answered.

"Nice! So this girl does know how to play Duel Monsters!," Jonouchi added. "But uh... do you even know her name?"

Yugi shook his head.

"No, not really. Grandpa said it's a secret and I'll find out who she is once the tournament is over."

"Yeah, that's good and all but let's get going guys! She's not the only one who's going to the pier!," Honda noted.

"Honda's right! We're kinda wasting time here so we better get going!," said Bakura.

Everyone nodded and began walking to look for the pier that'll lead them to Duelist Kingdom, the place where they must win to retrieve Sugoroku's soul.

* **4:25pm***

As the bus was still going, Usagi was found wide awake while she was checking out her deck for the tournament. She was getting curious about the dark circles Ikuko told her about in the morning so she took out her compact to see if they were actually there. To Usagi's surprise, there wasn't a single trace of sleeping dust laying anywhere beneath her eyes.

"Strange... I guess mother was exaggerating a bit too much," Usagi thought as she placed the compact back into her pink bag. "I wonder how much longer I have to wait to get to Domino City..."

"Um, ma'am, we're already here," said a little girl from a seat behind Usagi. "Haven't you notice?"

"R-Really?!"

Usagi looked out the window and realized the bus was slowing down and stopping in front of a game shop that seemed familiar to her.

"Usagi Tsukino, we've arrived to your destination. Please take all of your belongings with you and leave now," said the bus driver through a speaker.

"Bye bye, miss! By the way, you look very pretty!," the little girl noted.

"Oh, why thank you," Usagi replied. "It was nice to meet you!"

She grabbed her suitcases and pink backpack from the right seat and walked out the bus. Usagi looked upon the game shop to see if it was the right one.

"Kame Games"... my, I wouldn't expect myself to be living in a game shop but... it's for the greater good."

Usagi walked towards the door and checked on the sign that was left hanging on the door knob. She knew something else was written there so she checked the back as well. There, the place where the key was hidden was written down.

"Let me see...," Usagi mumbled, picking up the doormat. "Ah ha! Here it is! Now what is left is to open this door."

As the door opened, she peaked in to see if there was anyone around there. The lights were turned off and it was pretty hard to see anything in the dark. Usagi turned on the switch by the door and the lights have turned on. She couldn't believe her eyes! There was so many different type of games everywhere in the shop from numerous places around the Earth. Then, of course, the most popular game among them, was Duel Monsters; Usagi's favorite card game.

"Oh my goodness!! I-I can't believe I'm going to live here with so many games to play with! I can't wait to—!"

Suddenly, she heard the clock ticking from the shelf and knew time was running out. The games were fascinating alright but they had to wait for another day to play with.

"Crap! I gotta get going! I don't have much time left!"

Usagi left her luggage at the back of the game shop and only took her pink bag that contained her deck and duel glove with star chips. Let's not forget about the blankets and snacks her mother packed just for her. Usagi also took a few of her belongings with her to remember Ikuko along the trip.

"Oh mother... I promise I won't disappoint you!"

Usagi closed the front door shut and placed the key back where it was. She walked on the cemented sidewalk, off to find the pier waiting for the best duelists around Domino City to ride on it towards Duelist Kingdom. The cool wind of the dawn sky breezed through her golden bangs and the two buns with hair that was falling out of them so beautifully like a waterfall.

"Get ready, Duelist Kingdom! I'm going to reach the top, no matter what challenges I'll face, I will fight till the end!"


	4. A Surprise Meetup

***** **7:56pm***

The sky was getting darker as stars began to rise from the depths of sun that hauled down towards the bottom of the Earth. Yugi and his friends began to wonder if there was even pier to where they were headed to. The area where cargos were lifted and dropped off was awfully quiet.

"Damn it! I can't stand searching for that damn pier!," Jonouchi hesitated.

"Well, we would've actually find the pier earlier if it wasn't your desire to eat some hamburgers and nearly wasting two hours inside of a fast food restaurant!," Anzu complained angrily.

"It's not my fault! Everyone else was hungry so we had to eat something!"

"Yeah, but you kept ordering and held us back from going to the pier. Not to mention that we have almost no more money smartass!," she shot back.

"Hmph! It would've been faster to order if you were working there like you did last year!"

"Take that back you piece of—"

"Relax you guys! I know the pier has to be here. The invitation said the tournament would take place today," Yugi noted as he showed his friends the paper.

"Eh, I don't know, Yugi. Doesn't it seem too quite around here?," Honda wondered, looking from left to right.

"Are you sure we came in time?," Bakura asked. "We might've missed the ride..."

"Missed?!! No way! Th-There's no way the pier could've left us behind, right Yugi?!," Jonouchi shrieked worriedly.

"Of course not! Maybe if you just walk a little further... Ah ha! There it is!"

There it was. The pier that was bound to take the participants of the tournament to Duelist Kingdom to compete with each other for the top. Many duelists were already there, showing off their decks they had prepared to fight with. Yugi and his friends knew obtaining Sugoroku's soul wasn't gonna be easy.

"Man, look at that! There's so many people here!," Jonouchi pointed out. "Whew... I'm glad we came in time!"

"Yeah... I sure hope we don't get lost in that crowd," Yugi answered.

"Hey... do you think that girl you were talking about could be around here?"

"Well, she should. Though, it's a shame that I don't know what's her name or know what she looks like."

"If only there wasn't that many female duelists around here. I could've spotted her as fast as a dart!"

"Oh, Jonouchi..."

From the other side of the cargo holds, Usagi had arrived at the pier, looking shocked at the enormous amount of duelists there that sort of decreased her self-confidence by a short amount.

"Okay, Usagi... you can do this... this is your chance to finally meet new people," she told herself nervously. It's time to leave your isolation to the past."

As she took her first steps towards the pier, the crowd seemed to have been a bit larger than it was seen. Duelists have already covered her from behind and she soon found herself in the middle of the large crowd. Usagi tried not to panic or get paranoid by the people surrounding her and took a deep breath.

"Okay... I'll just have to wait here until—"

Just then, she felt a bump from her back and it made her jump forward in shock. Usagi almost lost her balance with simply a bump and she hoped nobody noticed her embarrassing move. It was probably because of all the anxiety she had build up by the people.

"Woah! I nearly fell on my face there!," she thought in shock. "What a great way to start the evening..."

"Agh! I-I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! I didn't mean to bump into you like that!"

Usagi shook herself from her thoughts and turned over to the person who was apologizing endlessly. As she opened her mouth to say something to them, her eyes widen with surprise to see was in front of her. It was no other than the great Yugi Muto! The duelist who won against the Duel Monsters Champion from Death-T!

"Oh my goodness! It's you! The one and only Yugi Muto!," Usagi shrieked in excitement. She then calmed herself down and nodded in delight. "I mean, there's need to apologise! I can see you kind of got lost there in the crowd."

Yugi looked up and his eyes also widen in surprise to see possibly the most cutest girl he had lay eyes on.

"Sh-She's just as cute as Anzu! And she's participating in the tournament as well?!," he thought.

The rest of the gang caught up with Yugi after shoving past through the duelists in the crowd. Jonouchi and Honda dropped their jaws in awe as they found Yugi talking with a beautiful blonde hair girl. They rushed past Yugi and introduced themselves to her as if she was like their queen.

"Hey there! I'm one the famous Yugi Muto's best friends! The name's Jonouchi Katsuya!"

"Oh... uh... hello—"

"Hey don't forget me! I'm Honda Hiroto! Please to meet you!"

Anzu approached the two teenagers from behind and wacked their heads harshly.

 ** _*Whack!*_**

"Ow! What the hell was that for, Anzu?!," Jonouchi asked, rubbing his head that was in pain.

"That's no way to introduce yourselves to a lady! Look at her! You're scaring her!," Anzu scolded.

"Grr..."

Usagi laughed awkwardly at them.

"D-Don't worry. It's no big deal. They seemed excited to greet me but I can get startled easily..."

"See you guys? She's a sensitive girl," Anzu stated. She then held out her hand to shake Usagi's hand. "Sorry about those idiots. They can sometimes randomly jump on people just to say hello. Anyways, the name's Anzu Mazaki. And this besides me is Bakura Ryou."

"Nice to meet you!," he greeted with a smile.

Usagi nodded and shook Anzu's hand.

"It's nice meeting you all! I'm Usagi Tsukino and I'm also a participant of the tournament."

"She is?!," Jonouchi and Honda thought.

Bakura leaned a little closer to Usagi's face and took a close look at her. Usagi never had anyone come so close to her face before so she suddenly turned red.

"W-What is it, B-Bakura?," she stuttered.

"Hm. I don't know. I just thought you looked familiar," he answered as he backed up little. "Aside from that, your name does sound familiar though..."

"Usagi... where have I heard that name... Wait! That can't be—! You're—!"

"The master female duelist of Juuban! Usagi Tsukino!," Yugi shouted in surprise and didn't let Jonouchi finish his sentence.

"Really?! Is that really you!?," Anzu asked desperately.

"Wow! I can't believe we'd meet up with a famous duelist here!," Honda remarked.

Usagi shook a little and hid behind Bakura from the surprised teenagers. Bakura giggled nervously as he looked over at the shy girl.

"Uh... guys... I think you're actually scaring her this time," said Bakura quietly.

"Oh crap! I forgot she's a shy duelist!," Jonouchi pointed out.

 ** _*Whack!*_**

"Jonouchi! Keep your voice down! We won't be able to communicate with her if you won't shut your loud mouth!," Anzu chided.

"I would say the same for you!"

"What did you say—?!"

"Guys! You really need to calm yourselves down! If you guys stop arguing then we can actually talk with Usagi," Honda added.

"Fine," they both replied.

Bakura whispered something to Usagi from behind and she slowly came out from his shadow. She then proceeded to smile again for them.

"I can see you guys know my name... But... would you mind not saying it out loud? I have trouble talking to people... and I'm a little timid," Usagi uttered. "I'm not bragging or anything but many duelists have been longing to see me when they heard I was going to participate in Duelist Kingdom. The thing is... not many know how I look like. I can say that probably two or three duelists here know how I look but the rest don't."

"Damn... this girl is extremely sensitive... but she's extremely cute too!," Jonouchi thought.

"Timid? But you were pretty happy when you met up with Yugi," Anzu stated.

"Well... who wouldn't? He's the only duelist who won against the Duel Monsters Champion, Seto Kaiba!"

Yugi blushed and scratched his head, feeling flattered.

"Hehehe! It's nothing too exciting," he confirmed.

"But it was amazing how you beat him! I bet your deck has plenty of powerful cards!"

"Well, this deck was given to me by someone who's very close to me so I suppose it does wield some strong cards. But what about yours? I heard you have many strategies with your cards and they're even powerful enough to defeat the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"You're partially right, though, I always trust in my cards in order to win. That's how I can draw the right cards to my hand in a duel!"

"That's what I do too! It's always important to believe in your deck in order to win!"

Just as they were about to share anything else, one of Pegasus's bodyguards walked up to the rail of the pier and looked down at the participants from above.

"Attention all duelists! Industrial Illusions welcomes you to this event!," he announced, "We have researched your tournament records and even unofficial duels and hand-picked the best duelists Japan has to offer! Beware that some duelists here are extremely skilled in strategies but you all will do your very best to defeat the best! A light shines for you and waits for you to reach it! Now it is time! Come and cross the sea and reach for the light duelists!!"

The crowd cheered with pride but soon silenced when they heard a feminine laugh.

"Hahaha! Are these children seriously going to duel in the tournament? It's preschool all over again... Too bad I haven't seen any real competition yet!"

The gang turned around to see who was the owner of that voice and the boys were in awe when they say her. The owner of the voice was a really beautiful young woman with long blonde curly hair and an elegant pair of eyes that were purple. Her lips were pretty pink and looked like they were ready to kiss any man coming close to them. She wore a white tube top along with a purple leather jacket that had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. For the bottom, she wore a tight dark purple skirt and dark purple boots for her shoes. Anyone would fall in love with the woman in first sight.

"What a babe!!," Jonouchi and Honda thought as they drooled.

The woman noticed Yugi who blushed when she looked at him. She approached him and gave him a cute smile.

"Well, why you look at that. You know you're famous, right?," she asked.

Yugi nodded nervously.

"I just wonder how would a kid like you beat Kaiba. But I'll admit, you sure do look pretty cute."

Anzu clenched her fist and tried not to attack the woman who was flirting with Yugi.

"Grr! Just who is this woman?!"

The blonde looked behind Yugi and noticed Usagi standing there with a blank stare. She gasped in surprise and hopped over to the shy girl and shook her hand excitingly.

"Oh my goodness! I can't believe it's you! The master female duelist of Juuban! Usagi Tsukino! It's an honor to meet you!"

"Th-Thank you...," Usagi thanked quietly.

"Oh! I'm sorry for not introducing myself first! I go by the name, Mai Kujaku! I'm also a duelist who's competing in Duelist Kingdom!"

"Hey, aren't you that female duelist that travels all around the world and take down the best duelists along the way?"

"Yep! Ooh! I just can't wait to get my hands on that prize money! Anyways, I'm off!"

As Mai began walking away from them, Jonouchi and Honda tried to introduce themselves to her.

"Hey! Don't forget about me! I'm Jonouchi—!"

"Yeah! And I'm Honda—!"

"Whatever! I would care less to know your names," Mai responded coldly. "I'm only here to reach for the grand prize and I'll take down any duelists who dare to get in my way!"

She glared at Usagi and then looked back at the pier.

"Usagi... just because I was acting friendly to you doesn't mean that I'll go easy on you in a duel. I'm looking forward to dueling you in the tournament. You better prepare your deck because I'll soon take away your crown!"

Usagi looked surprised but she nodded and gave a brave smile.

"Then so be it. Our duel awaits," she responded.

Mai simply gave a smile and waved at them as she headed off to the pier. She must've left a trail of perfume because the boys gathered around and sniffed the perfume in delight. Except for Bakura. He didn't like the smell of kind of perfume for some reason.

"Wow... that was one fine chick right there," Jonouchi mumbled.

"Yeah, no kidding," Honda agreed.

"She was pretty...," Yugi added.

Anzu overheard Yugi and got even angrier.

"Pretty?! Not you too, Yugi!," she thought. "Okay you idiots! Enough with this already! Let's just go!"

"All right, all right, but you better keep your voice down if Usagi's gonna come with us," Jonouchi noted.

"Huh? You want me to come with you guys?," she asked.

Yugi nodded and gave a bright smile to her.

"Why not? We can't leave you alone for this adventure."

"But..."

 ** _*Tap Tap*_**

Honda was tapping on Yugi's shoulder and tugged him over as well as Jonouchi into a small group. His face seemed pretty worried but they didn't know why. The others simply talked with Usagi for a bit.

"Hey, guys. I think it's best if we try to leave Usagi alone for now. Don't we have some things to settle with Pegasus? We can't drag her into this problem."

"Well, now that you mention it, I really do think we gotta settle things with Pegasus first. But... I can't leave behind a girl as cute as her though!," Jonouchi replied with a sad face. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"You guys don't understand. This could actually benefit us," Yugi added. "If we become allies with a strong duelist, we wouldn't have to fear them if we come across them. With Usagi by our side, the competition wouldn't be as intense. Plus, I... actually want to know her better. She seems very nice and kind. I really do want to become friends with her."

"Hey, but you do think she's also super cute, right?"

"C-Cute!? Um, well..."

"C'mon! Just spill it! You're face is turning red!"

"Okay, okay! I'll admit it... Uh... Usagi is pretty..."

"Woohoo! We've just became friends with an incredibly strong yet cute as hell duelist!"

Jonouchi said his line a bit too loud because the rest of his friends stared at him strangle. They shrugged it off and walked over to their little secret meet up.

"Okay, so you guys agree taking Usagi into our group?," Anzu asked.

"Oh hell yeah we are!," Jonouchi and Honda shouted.

"Really? Hooray! Another member to our circle of friends!," Bakura cheered.

Anzu walked over to Usagi and took a hold on her hand and brought her with them.

"Usagi," Anzu said, "Welcome to our team!"

"We'll learn a lot from you and you can learn a lot from us!," Bakura commented happily.

Her eyes began to water but she held back the tears and of joy.

"...Thank you...," Usagi uttered. "But are you sure you want someone like me to be part of your group? I did mention I'm not good at communicating with people..."

"That should be the least thing you should worry about, Usagi!," Yugi stated. "I know for sure, our friendship will last for eternity if you accept us."

"So what will it be?," Honda asked.

Without a word, Usagi jumped and hugged her new friends with her tears finally freed. There was no other way to to answer such an easy question.

"Of course I'll be part of your friendship! I couldn't refuse such an important opportunity."

"Usagi... the thing is... we've already accepted you as a friend as soon as we met. Even if you were to say no, we would still look at you as our friend," Yugi murmured.

She didn't say anything. All what she did was hug them even tighter.

 _"Yugi... thank you. From this day forth, you and your friends will always be in my heart. For eternity."_


	5. The Way to Duelist Kingdom

* **9:27pm***

As the gang had entered the pier, all duelists there were building their decks for the tournament, there was even other duelists who traded in cards for more powerful ones.

"Oh boy! There's a lot of trading to do! Gotta get started!"

Jonouchi scampered all over the place to trade with duelists, though when he approached to them, they didn't seem too welcoming.

"Well, if it isn't the great Yugi Muto..."

Yugi heard his name being called and as he turned his head, he found Insector Haga, the winner of the Japanese National Championship and Dinosaur Ryuzaki, the runner up of that tournament. They both came up to him to give him a friendly hello.

"Greetings, Yugi. I just wanted to congratulate you on your victory against Kaiba Seto," Haga stated as he shook Yugi's hand.

"Thanks but I can't compare myself to the Japanese National Champion yet. I congratulate your victory against Ryuzaki too," said Yugi.

"Heh! That's only because I went easy on him," Ryuzaki noted.

"Hmph. The last tournament didn't mean to much to me, though I can't be call a champion yet unless I beat you and Kaiba," Haga insisted.

"Uh, I see. By the way, do you two know the new rules for dueling in Duelist Kingdom?," Yugi asked.

"I don't quite know what they are, but for sure they'll incorporate more strategy." "If you ask me, the new rules are all just hype and it will either "kill or be killed" in the tournament," Ryuzaki explained.

"We should get going now. I'm looking forward to dueling you in Duelist Kingdom, Yugi." With his final words, the two duelists went to there rooms only for them while the rest had to stay in the common area.

"Hey, Yugi. How about let's go leave our stuff in the common area now?" Usagi suggested, appearing behind him. "I want have a break now from walking, also I want to get my deck ready for Duelist Kingdom."

Yugi nodded and the gang were together again to look for the common area.

As they made it, Jonouchi was disappointed. "Are you kidding me!?! How come there isn't rooms for everyone and not even at least a bed to sleep in?," he complained to an official.

"Shut up. Only the finalists from the last tournament get their own private rooms," informed the official, giving him a stern look.

From the a few steps away, Mai also was upset of the fact that they didn't give her a room for herself. "Listen to me you unsettling man! How dare you make a fine woman like me rest in a spot like this! There isn't even a shower!"

Anzu was getting picky of her attitude. "She's not only such a flirting wrench but also a spoiled brat," Anzu thought, giggling about how Mai would whine when she was a baby.

Yugi sighed softly.

"Don't be sad to rest in this here, Yugi."

He got a bit startled at that moment but only to find Haga there.

"Oh, it's you again. I thought you guys were already in your rooms, resting for the big day tomorrow."

"I decided to stay up for a bit before I head off to my room," said Haga. "Besides that, you're lucky to be put in the common area."

"Why's that?," Yugi asked.

"In the common area, everyone there is building their decks for the tournament so you get to see their cards and easily learn the strategies they'll use along with it, without having to know by dueling them."

"Wow, Haga. You did plenty of observing to figure out something like that."

"Heh, it wasn't hard at all. Other than that, you can also trade with people to get powerful cards to boost your deck, just like your friend over there."

Jonouchi was still busy trading with duelists, not to mention the satisfied grin he had smeared on his face.

"I'll go check on Ryuzaki meanwhile you work on your deck too, see ya."

"Hey guys! Over here! I've found a nice place to rest." Honda walked over to a clear area on the corner with not many duelists blocking the way.

"Way to go, Honda!," Usagi complimented.

"Hehe. It was nothing, really."

"Hmph. He's getting the attention I was supposed to receive," Jonouchi thought as he pouted.

The gang gathered up in the corner, wondering how they'll sit down with no need of having to stack each other to sleep like a tower.

"Here. I have an idea." Usagi reached to her small pink backpack, took out a light blue fluffy blanket, and placed it on the cool floor. "There we go! Now we don't have to suffer from the freezing floor."

"Arigato, Usagi! You're a lifesaver!," Jonouchi and Honda announced gleefully.

The rest just nodded and took a seat.

"Okay everyone! I have gotten some cool cards to show off!"

"They should better not be any of your fast food coupons, Jonouchi," Anzu giggled, already spotting the coupons from his pockets.

"Hmph! That's it! Bring it on An-"

Bakura raised his arm to stop the violence that Jonouchi was about to cause.

"Calm down. It was just a joke. You tell jokes too, don't you?"

"Fine, fine." Jonouchi gave a stern look at Anzu, warning her to not make fun of him like that.

She smiled and giggled wickedly.

"Oh, cheer up. Let's discuss our decks now," said Yugi.

"Yugi, before we began, I wanted to ask you something about your Millenium Puzzle," Usagi confirmed.

He looked surprised.

"Wait, you know about this puzzle?"

"Of course. Well, actually I did plenty of research on all seven Millenium Items."

"Watch out, Yugi, we got a genius here," Bakura chuckled cutely.

Usagi smiled. "I wouldn't really call myself a genius but I do a lot of research on ancient history. The Millenium Items was something I was interested in."

"What do you know about them, so far?," Yugi asked curiosly."

"Hmm. I know that three of them are good, three of them are bad and one item is both and it's the Millenium Puzzle."

"That's cool! What more do you know?"

"There's a spirit in the puzzle and one in the ring, though it still hasn't been confirmed yet if it's true or not."

Yugi smirked and changed into the spirit resting within the Millenium Puzzle to greet her in person.

"Not yet to be confirmed? Are you sure about that?," the spirit asked, lifting an eyebrow up.

Usagi immediately knew she wasn't talking to Yugi anymore after noticing his sharp crismon eyes and a change in his voice.

"Y-You're the spirit...but how is it possible to physically change like that...?"

"Yugi and I have been sharing our minds so I can take over when I'm allowed to or maybe even when I want to."

"Hehe! That's right, Usagi! You are speaking with a living spirit!," Jounouchi pointed out.

"Well, other than that, nice to meet you, uh...what's your name?"

The spirit seemed to have looked puzzled due to the fact that he wasn't called by a name other than, "the other Yugi" or "the spirit of the Millenium Puzzle." He didn't answer.

"I see that you don't have a name yet...but I'll give you one if you don't mind...," Usagi noted, "...how about Yami?"

"Yami? Sounds like a great name for me," he answered. "By the way, what was it you wanted to ask me, Usagi?"

"Oh...! That's right, I almost forgot," she replied, "I was just thinking, is it normal for the Millenium Puzzle to glow so often when a human approaches to it?"

Yami looked down at his golden puzzle and realized that it was giving a bright yellow illumination.

"That's odd. The only time the puzzle did something like this was when Yugi solved it, but that was a year ago."

Usagi thought for a moment.

"I've learned that Millenium Items get a reaction when they encounter another Millenium Item that's being held by it's owner...but I'm in no position of one."

Bakura then reached for his backpack and took out the Millenium Ring that was glowing too.

"Ahhh! Don't take it out, Bakura!!!," Jonouchi, Honda, and Anzu shouted fearfully.

"Calm down guys! I'm not going to wear it anyways. It's just that the spikes of the ring keep pointing and glowing at Usagi at the same time."

Jonouchi had a worried look on his face.

"Hehe...h-how about let's get started on our decks now, eh?," he stuttered as he moved away from the group a bit.

"Don't tell me you're scared, Jonouchi," said Anzu.

"N-No, I'm not!"

"Stop being a chicken, Jonouchi," Honda laughed out. "I thought you said you were going to be a brave duelist before we got here."

"Of course I will! It's just that don't feel safe around you guys talking about scary ancient magic stuff when I'm trying to concentrate on building my deck."

Usagi giggled and stood up from the floor. "I don't know about you guys but I'm off to get some fresh air if you don't mind," she noted.

Yami transformed. "I'll go with you, Usagi," Yugi addressed, "all of this talking is making me tired."

"Wait for me!," Jonouchi added.

The three teenagers were outside, enjoying the cool breeze that flew on their faces from the edge of the pier.

"This feels nice," Usagi murmured softly to Yugi, "I always loved to do this when I was younger."

Yugi looked at her with a bright smile but also with a questioning face.

"Say, Usagi, how was your childhood anyway?," Jonouchi asked.

Her smiled faded a bit. "Childhood...I'd say it was...fine."

Yugi noticed her sad expression. "Usagi, are you alright?"

"Yes...it's just that I honestly never had friends before and I...was so lonely at that time..."

"Cheer up! The past doesn't represents who you are!," Jonouchi declared as he gave a beaming smile.

"He's right, Usagi. No matter what kind of difficulties you've gone through in the past, you have that shining light to follow towards a happy future," Yugi comforted. "Besides, we have reasons to be here other than for the title and money."

"Really?"

He nodded.

"I'll explain it later but for now, let's enjoy the vi-"

"Hehehe..."

A disturbing giggled was heard behind them, quickly alerting Jonouchi that someone must've been spying on them.

"Who's there!," he demanded.

"I'm sorry for the unexpected arrival," Haga apologized, "but I just wanted to ask you something, Yugi, before I head off."

"I'm listening," Yugi replied.

"I wanted to know if you have your "Exodia" cards with you right now."

Usagi looked at Haga suspiciously.

"Why would he want to know that now?," she questioned herself in her mind.

"Yes, I do. Why?"

"May I see them?"

Yugi hesitated a little. "I'm not sure... they're extremely rare and special to me..."

"Please, Yugi, I just want to take a look at them. I never seen them in my whole entire life."

"Hmm. Okay then, just be careful." Yugi took out his golden box where he stored his deck and reached for the five pieces of "Exodia."

"Here you go." As he handed them over to Haga, he himself didn't feel assured.

Haga immedeitaly had a wicked smirk across his face. "Yugi, is "Exodia" truly you strongest monster in your deck?"

"Of course. I won against Kaiba with him."

Haga walked towards the edge of the pier and stretched out his arm over the rail with all five "Exodia" pieces on his hand.

"What the hell do you think your doing!," Jonouchi shouted.

He began chuckling. "Yugi, you were dumb enough to hand me over "Exodia" like that. I've been trying find different methods to defeat it but was no use so the only way that I can beat you is by getting rid of your strongest monster!"

At once, Haga let go the cards and they all fell down to ocean, barely seeable since the night was so dark.

"Noo!," Yugi cried.

Haga left without a trace.

"Don't worry, Yugi! I'll get them for you!"

Jonouchi jumped off from the pier's rail and dived down into the cold sea to retrieve the "Exodia" pieces.

"Oh no, Jonouchi!," Usagi cried worriedly.

"Usagi! Please stay here! I will save him!," Yugi ordered.

He jumped off too, in order to save his best friend before it was too late.

"Hey! What's going on here?," Honda asked as the rest of the group were behind him.

"Let's talk later! First, help me bring down this ladder so that Yugi and Jonouchi can get back up!"

Honda and Bakura took the old ladder from Usagi and began lowering down to the ocean for the nearly drowning teenage boys, while Anzu was looking down with scared eyes.

"Please be alright, guys."

Finally, Yugi and Jonouchi were able to get back on the pier's platform safely. Usagi had given them a pink blanket to dry and keep themselves warm.

"Now that everything is okay, may I ask, what the heck were you two doing down there!," Honda demanded.

"Yeah, it isn't normal for two ordinary teenagers to simply jump off a pier into the drifting cold sea," Bakura added.

Anzu still looked worried.

"Calm your asses down already guys. I was trying to get the "Exodia" cards for Yugi," Jonouchi confessed, staring down at the floor in disappointment for failing to retrieve them.

"How did they even end up there?," Anzu asked.

"That bastard, Haga! He was the one who threw the cards! That shithead will pay for what he has done!"

"Why did he do something like that?," Anzu questioned.

"He wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to be much of a problem to deal with at Duelist Kingdom so he got rid of my strongest monster to then make me turn into a weaker duelist," Yugi answered.

Usagi placed a hand on his shoulder. "I believe that you are still strong enough to duel, Yugi. Even without "Exodia," you still have a strong monster that dwells within your deck to take it's place, correct?"

Yugi formed a small smile on his upsetting face.

"You're right. I still my "Black Magician" to fight along my side in Duelist Kingdom. Not only that, I also have friends to cheer me on."

"That's the spirit! That bug boy has no idea who's he messing with!," Jonouchi declared.

"I'm glad everyone is happy again. Let's go back in now. Nobody would like a good chat in the freezing air," Usagi noted.

"Ahh~so warm." Jonouchi rubbed his head on the blanket for at least two minutes while the gang were waiting for him to finish.

"Alright, alright. Get up now!," Honda ordered. "We need warmth too you know."

They sat back down, covering themselves with Usagi's blankets she brought for the trip.

"You guys can keep them if you want. I have too many back at home and I don't really need that much."

"Thanks, Usagi!," said both Jonouchi and Honda cheerfully.

"That's so generous of you, Usagi. I wouldn't expect nothing less from a kind and pretty duelist like yourself," Bakura stated.

She blushed.

"Man, if I didn't had a blanket, I would've ended up burying myself inside of this tan coat I'm wearing," said Anzu.

"Why are you bothering anyways? You already have a warm coat and yet still need a blanket? Girls are sure hard to understand these days," Honda stated.

She gave him a stern look.

"Okay, okay I'll stop talking."

Yugi transformed.

"Let's talk about our decks, shall we?," Yami suggested.

Everyone nodded.

"I'm up first! Just check out these bad boys!," Jonouchi boasted, taking out some of the cards he got from trading.

"Not bad, Jonouchi. "Salamandra" and "Kunai with Chain" are excellent cards for your deck but for "Baby Dragon," I believe there's a card to create a combo with it," Usagi explained.

"Aww man...I don't think I have it," he said dully.

"But I do."

Yami open his golden box, took out card and handed it over to Jonouchi.

"Time Wizard?"

"That's correct, Jonouchi. Though, it may lack in attack and defense, it carries a special effect that'll go great with "Baby Dragon."

"Thanks, Yugi."

"Your deck surely won't be as weak now," Anzu confirmed.

Jonouchi placed his cards in his pocket and then took out the one star chip he owned.

"Don't worry, Shizuka, it won't be long before I save your eyesight."

"Who's Shizuka?," asked Usagi curiously.

He grabbed his wallet he carried in his pocket and inside there was a picture of a young girl with brunette hair and eyes, looking very much like Jonouchi.

"She's my younger sister. I'm participating in the tournament to win the prize money for the eye surgery to prevent Shizuka from going blind. If I fail to win, she won't be able to see anything again, not even me."

Usagi felt upset to know that Jonouchi was here to fight for a life rather than wanting to win something for himself.

"I wish you the best of luck, Jonouchi because I know you'll need it so will you, Yami."

"Thank you, Usagi, because I do too have someone important to save as well." "Who is it?" "Yugi's grandpa. I'm here to take back his soul from Pegasus."

She gasped a little. "Pegasus? Him? What do you mean?"

"To begin with, he sent me a video tape to play in the TV. To my surprise, Pegasus was there in the TV with a welcoming smile on his face, looking like he was already waiting for me. He wanted to play Duel Monsters through there with me after hearing news that I beaten Kaiba in the Death-T Games to see if I was truly that skilled in that game."

"I see, but what happened next?"

"It's hard to explain but all of the sudden, as soon as we started, when he summoned a monster, it came to life. It literally just came out of the card. Unexpectedly, Pegasus somehow managed to read right through my mind, knowing every single move I was going to do and every card I had in my hand. I was close of beating him but sadly, the time limit ran out and he had the most life points left, making me lose the duel."

"Then..."

"Yes, I had to pay the price so he took Grandpa's soul and forced me to compete in Duelist Kingdom if I ever wanted to receive the soul back to its physical body."

"But...why would Pegasus...do something like that...?," Usagi murmured sadly.

"He wants to get hands on the Millenium Puzzle!," Jonouchi announced as he formed a fist with his hand.

"Yeah! That bastard screwed up big time and he'll get his ass kicked soon enough," Honda agreed.

Usagi looked really upset and that made Yami concerned.

"What's with the sad expression, Usagi?"

"Yami...Pegasus was the one who gave me this deck I cherished for 5 years...I never thought he would be such an awful person...I looked up to him..."

* **Flashback** *

It was Usagi's 11th birthday. The afternoon was quite bright and sunny but as always, Usagi stayed home as she still wasn't comfortable to make friends yet. Her mother called someone special to greet them for Usagi's birthday gift. Usagi came down from her bedroom where she usually read books of Egypt alone and drew pictures of the Millenium Items.

"Mommy! Look at this drawing of the Millenium Puzzle I made for you!"

Ikuko heard her from the kitchen as she was baking her birthday cake.

"Aww~what a lovely drawing my little bunny. I'll be sure to put it up on the fridge later." *cough* *cough*

Usagi sniffed the air. "Mommy, what are you baking?"

"It's a surprise darling. Now go to your room and read for a while. I'll tell you when it's ready."

"Okay, Mommy. I'll be patient and wait like a good little girl would do."

As Usagi went to her room, she found a book with a pink gift bowtie along with a small letter on the side on her desk where she read books.

"Happy Birthday, Usagi Tsukino!," it said.

She took a closer look at it and it was a story about a powerful pharaoh who fell in love with the beautiful moon princess that lived above the Moon Kingdom. It was called, "Love for Egypt."

"Ooh~this is something I'll surely read. It looks romantic...!"

Later in dawn, Ikuko called her name as the cake was finally finished being baked and decorated.

"Usagi! Come down here!" *cough*

"I'm coming, Mommy!"

When she arrived, she then realized that there was somebody else than Ikuko in the living room. He was a tall adult with long straight silver hair reaching to his shoulders. The man wore an elegant red tuxedo including red velvet pants with his appearance. His eyes were hazel. To Usagi, he looked like a billionaire.

"Hello there little girl. What's your name?," the man asked kindly as he lowered himself on his knees.

"M-My name's Usagi...," she answered shyly.

"Nice to meet you, Usagi. I must say, you look as beautiful as my lover, Cecelia. Your eyes equally matches with hers."

Usagi blushed cutely.

"I'm Pegasus J. Crawford, a game designer and the creator of Duel Monsters. I heard it was your birthday today...say, do you like games?"

She nodded.

"Wonderful! How about let's play Duel Monsters then?"

"B-But I don't know how to play it...yet," said Usagi disappointly.

"No need to worry, Usagi, I'll teach you!"

Pegasus got up and took her hand with his and walked over the table and placed a box of cards on top.

"You sit on that side and I sit over here."

As they took their seats, Pegasus gave a deck to Usagi to borrow for their practice duel.

"First, each one of us start with 5 cards in our hands and 2,000 life points. They point of this game is to come up with different strategies to defeat your opponent by lowering their life points."

She nodded, understanding the basics of Duel Monsters.

"It's your turn first, so start off by summoning a monster on the field," he explained.

Usagi placed a monster on the table called, "Maiden of the Moonlight."

"Well done, now when it's your first turn, you can't attack your opponent right away so you end your turn. If it's your second turn, that's where you can attack. Make sure your monster is more powerful than your opponent's monster."

Pegasus summoned a weaker monster.

"Now, Usagi, since my monster has only 1000 attack points, you can destroy it and then I take damage."

Usagi was getting the hang of the game as Pegasus explained all kind of spell and trap cards to use during a duel when you have a certain strategy depending on what kind of deck you use. Many explanations were made but it was worth learning.

"Excellent! Looks like you're on your way to become a beautiful yet strong duelist now."

"T-Thank you Mr. Pegasus, but I don't have a deck yet to duel..."

He then took out a small pink box with a deck inside of it.

"Here you go. Now you have a deck to duel with and cherish with your heart."

Usagi looked at the cards and they were based on "Sailor" monsters and cards. Little did she know, those were the original designs that her father made right after the car crash. Pegasus heard about incident and came to see what happened. He was devastated to find out that one of his most well-known designers had ended up in such a tragic event. Pegasus then noticed some ripped papers out of a brief case and took all of them out to see what they were. Monster and magic card sketches. He knew that Kenji was going to deliver it to him. As a favor, Pegasus recreated those designs and waited until Usagi's 11th birthday to give it to her as a gift. Just for her.

"Those cards will be like your friends. Make sure to always take care of them," said Pegasus, "they'll be a big part of your life too."

She gave a gleeful smiled and a hug.

"Thank you!"

"Oh, Usagi...I'm here when you need help, okay? Now who's ready for cake?"

* **End of Flashback***

"He was like my very first friend I had but now after thinking about it, it's been years since we've exchange a single line of dialogue."

Yami placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Usagi, but people can change over time a lot. They either make bad or good decisions and go on in life and see what path they'll take to their future."

Jonouchi yawned.

"Guys, I'm tired now. It's been a long day and a guy like me needs to get his manly sleep," Jonouchi noted.

"Is there even such thing called a "manly sleep?," Anzu asked.

Honda and Bakura shrugged.

"I'm with Jonouchi. We all need to get our sleep now," Usagi stated softly, "it's almost midnight and we obviously can't duel right with drowsy eyes."

Within a few minutes, everyone was fasten asleep except for Yami.

"Yami, why aren't you resting?," Yugi asked concerned.

"I'm not sure partner but I keep having this strange feeling that Usagi is the girl in my visions."

"Could that be possible?"

"I don't know but ever since we met, that voice came back...like if it missed me."

"That's strange. We can talk about it tomorrow, Yami. For now, just relax."

Yami transformed back into the puzzle, still thinking about Usagi. "Just who are you, Usagi...?"


	6. Let the Tournament Began!

* **8:30am***

"Attention duelists! Please make your way out of the pier at once! We've arrived it to Duelist Kingdom!," announced Saruwatari, waking up everyone who were asleep in the common room.

"Get off me, Jonouchi!," Honda commanded angrily.

Jounouchi was on top of him, using his sweater as a blanket to sleep with.

"Huh? We're here that soon? But I was beginning to get comfortable on this mattress..."

"I'm not a mattress you idiot!"

Honda pushed him aside, making Jonouchi fall flat on his face on the cold surface of the pier.

"Ow! What the hell, Honda!"

Anzu woke up with an annoyed face.

"When can you guys stop acting like jerks!," she fumed. "You two are fighting like helpless dogs!"

The rest of the gang woke as well to see three of their friends arguing.

"Wake up, Usagi. It's time to get up," said Bakura as he slightly shaked Usagi's shoulders.

She yawned. "Oh, good morning everyone...did I take too long to get wake up?"

"Not at all, Usagi!," Jonouchi and Honda replied.

Yami stood besides her with a smile. "Need help?," he asked, offering her hand.

She nodded and took his hand with hers and got up from the floor.

"Thanks, Yami."

Everyone helped gather the blankets and place them back into Usagi's backpack.

"All done! C'mon now! The tournament awaits!," Jonouchi declared.

* **Duelist Kingdom 8:40am***

The gang got off of the pier safely and just in time because the pier was leaving already. The morning was beautiful as the sun rise shined through the ocean, beaming light on their faces.

"Achoo!"

"Ack! Be careful there, Jonouchi! I would've caught a cold right there!," said Anzu irritated.

"Hehe. Sorry."

"I'm sorry for what happened last night, Jonouchi. If it wasn't for me then you wouldn't had the cold to worry about," Yami pointed out.

"Nah, it's nothing, Yami. I had to take a risk to save your "Exodia" cards. That's what a true friend does."

Yami nodded, meaning that he understood how important it is to risk your life to save others.

"So, Yami, are you going to beat the shit out of Haga for throwing your cards to the ocean like a coward?," asked Honda.

Yami glared at Haga, who was a few inches away from their group. He had a disgusting smirk smeared on his unnatural face of his.

"That coward will get what he deserves soon. That smirk on his face will quickly fade away as I challenge him to a duel he'll never forget."

"You're right, Yami! Bug kid will be crushed in no time!," Jonouchi declared.

From outside of the crowd of duelists, Saruwatari stood there, ready to announce something important to all of them.

"Listen up, duelists! Please make your way to the castle upon this staircase to listen to an important announcement about this tournament!"

The gang looked over the rude looking bodyguard to see the enourmous staircase they had to walk.

"Wha-do we really have to walk that much!?!," Jonouchi said drastically to Saruwatari.

"Quit whining! Now get going already!"

"Grr...!"

Usagi rested her hand on Jonouchi's shoulder to calm him down. "C'mon, Jonouchi. Let's keep the violence to a minimum, please?"

He gave her a small smile. "Fine, let's get going."

As they walked up the staircase of stone, Jonouchi and Honda seemed to be exhausted.

"Get up guys. We're almost there," said Bakura politely.

"But don't wanna...," Honda huffed out.

Anzu marched over to them, giving them both a disappointing face, ready to scold them in any moment.

"Get up you lazy dogs! There's no time to rest, everyone is almost there and we're the only ones behind."

"Yeah guys! We're only half way through the staircase and Yami doesn't wish to wait any longer," Usagi pointed out.

The blonde and brunette teenagers got up on their feet, nearly falling back to the ground like if chains were locked up on their ankles like prisoners.

"Look guys. I know there was a bit of trouble we had to go through yesterday but today, we shall be ready for what's waiting beyond this tournament!," Usagi confirmed excitingly.

"Yeah! So leave the laziness and let's get going now!," Anzu agreed as she ran up the stairs with Usagi.

Jonouchi and Honda looked tired.

"Well, if this is the way to save Shizuka, I must hurry my ass up then," Jonouchi declared, catching up with the rest.

"W-Wait for me guys!," Honda echoed from behind, "my legs fell asleep!"

From the flat surface of stone where the castle stood outside, every duelist participating in Duelist Kingdom were talking about the high-ranked duelists who were also going to duel for the grand prize. Majority of the conversations were about Yugi Muto and his victory against Kaiba Seto.

"Are you going to duel Yugi?," asked a duelist to another.

"What!?! No way! He's going to be impossible to defeat with his ultimate card, "Exodia!," replied the other. "Not to mention his rare monster card, "Black Magician!" That monster is almost as hard to beat as the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

The blabbering seemed to have spread all around that area that it sounded more like a massive party. Yugi sure had taken the spotlight.

"Hehe! Yami, you're famous all around here!," Jonouchi pointed out.

Up from the top view of the balcony of the castle, there stood Pegasus J. Crawford, along with his two bodyguards on each side.

"Mister Pegasus, if you would do the honors...," said one of the bodyguards.

"Of course."

The creator of Duel Monsters then walked up to the edge of the balcony to get a better look at all the strong duelists. Everyone's voices lowered down.

"Welcome all to Duelist Kingdom! Allow me to explain the rules of this very special tournament!"

Yami's expression on his face looked so serious as soon as Pegasus began speaking.

"Pegasus...!"

"You all by now should already wored your duel glove on your right hand and placed your star chips on it by now. Those star chips are essentially your life as a duelist so make sure you duel carefully and choose your opponent wisely. Every time you duel, you and your opponent must bet one or more star chips. The winner will win their opponent's star chips, making them a step closer to enter the castle to participate in the finals and getting a chance to duel me for the title of "King of Duelists" and the grand prize money of 3,000,000¥!"

Everyone was getting excited and knew that everyone else around the island is their rival.

"Jonounchi and I only have one star chip, meaning that we must win our first duel or else we'll won't be participating in the tournament anymore," Yami thought.

"You must win ten star chips in order to enter the castle. Remember, There can only be five finalists that can enter. You only have up to 48 hours to win those star chips plus, you can duel anywhere around this island. Other than that, may the tournament began!," Pegasus finished proudly.

"Just you wait, Pegasus! That smile on your face will be ripped off once I duel you to save Sugoroku's soul," Yami thought at last as him and his friends left the castle.

Time Remaining: 47 Hours, 58 Minutes

* **9:57am***

The gang were exploring the island to observe the areas and surprisingly, it looked quite peaceful.

"That's strange. It's already been a hour after the tournament started but I don't see anyone dueling yet," Honda pointed out.

"Yeah but I honestly wouldn't blame anyone. I mean, this island is so peaceful that it's hardly seems like a place to duel," Bakura added.

"That could explain why everybody else aren't doing anything," said Anzu.

"Hmm. How about we search for Haga? That scum still has to pay for what he has done back at the pier," Usagi suggested.

"Great idea, Usagi!," Jonounchi and Honda answered.

"I remember seeing him walking to the forest right after Pegasus's announcement. He has to be in there," Yami noted. "Then when I find him, I will duel him and kick him out of Duelist Kingdom for being a disgraceful cheater. A true duelist always play with pride and not rapacity."

The rest nodded and headed towards the forest that had a sign saying that they were entering the forest area.

"This forest sure looks creepy," Anzu noted as she hid behind Yami.

"C'mon, Anzu. What could possibly be scary about this place? You're just scared 'cus you hate bugs and I bet there's plenty lurking around here," Jonounchi teased.

"Shut it," she finally said.

They viewed the surroundings for a short time until a name was called from the depths of the trees.

"Hey, Yugi!"

Yami heard Yugi's name being called in front of them and it was no other than Haga.

"Haga! I'm surprised you have the courage to actually face me!," said Yami sharply.

"Hehe...of course, Yugi. I mean, if I beat **you** first, the rest will be easy! I challenge you to a duel, right here, right now!"

"Okay! You asked for it!" Haga giggled wickedly.

"Very well, follow me then...there's a place to duel right here in the woods."

As the group walked down the trail, Usagi felt like they were falling into trap.

"Why would Haga be here in the first place? Did he schemed something to get rid of Yami?," she thought. It just a few minutes, they were face to face with a battle box.

"Hey! It's one of those battle box thingies!," Jonounchi pointed out surprised.

"Fool! You're falling into my trap!," Haga thought, making a weird satisfying smirk on that unnatural face of his.

Both duelists were inside the duel box, one on each side of the table, their decks already out for the duel. Haga noticed that Yami held only one star chip on his duel glove as he crossed his arms.

"What? You already lost one star chip? Did you seriously already lose a game? You do realize that if I take your last star chip, you're out for good, right?"

The others were going to observe the duel from outside the box and Haga's questions began bugging Usagi.

"That's enough, Haga. You're not getting anywhere with those obvious questions you keep asking non-stop," said Usagi.

He looked at her with a smirk.

"Don't get irrelevant my butterfly. Yugi just needs to know a few things before we duel."

Haga turned his attention back to Yami.

"Heh. Since you have one star chip, looks like I only have to stake one."

"No! You will stake both of your star chips, Haga!"

"What?"

"I told you-I'm taking you out first, remember? Kill or be killed. I'll stake my star chip...and my life!," Yami declared.

Haga's smirk grew into an big uncharming smile.

"Well! Now that's what I call a twist!"

Yami looked dead serious, meaning that he will actually accept death if he loses but within him, there dwelled the pride and courage he needed to win.

"Very well then...I stake two star chips! While Yugi stakes one and his life!"

"Go, Yugi!," cheered the gang from outside the box.

"Crush that bug guy!," yelled Jonounchi.

There was duelists who entered the forest as well.

"Look! There's a duel going right now! The Japanese National Champion, Insector Haga versus the one who beated Kaiba Seto, Yugi Muto!," a duelist pointed out.

"Not only that but look who's there too!"

The duelist pointed at Usagi.

"Usagi Tsukino, the master female duelist of Juuban!"

Three female duelists came running to her and challenged her to a duel. They all looked alike with the same clothing of dark red signature Chinese dresses and flats along with the same hairstyle of a tight pony tail with bangs covering their eyebrows, meaning that they must've been triplets.

"Duel us, Miss Usagi! It'll be a honor to duel against you."

"Oh, uh...okay then, let's look for a battle box then."

"Wait for me, Usagi! I'll come with you," said Bakura. "I don't want you to go alone."

Before they were off, she gave a wink at Yami. "I wish you the best of luck, Yugi! Remember, no matter the odds of winning, you always have your friends by your side to give you the courage to win!"

He smiled.

"Thank you, Usagi, for reminding me what's important to me," Yami thought. "Now I know who you are, Usagi. You're my friend."

"Yugi, shall we begin this duel?," Haga asked. Yami nodded. "Duel!," they both shouted.

Yami started off by summoning "Mammoth Graveyard" to the field in attack position.

ATK/1200 DEF/800

Haga then summoned "Killer Needle" on the field in attack position too.

ATK/1200 DEF/1000

"Looks like they both have the same attack! Go "Mammoth Graveyard"! Destroy "Killer Needle!," Yami yelled.

"Heh. "Killer Needle" counters!," Haga yelled back.

"Mammoth Graveyard" was killed instead.

"My monster was destroyed...but Haga's monster is still alive! How is that possible if both of them had the same attack?"

Haga sneered. "Keh heh heh...Yugi...you mean you haven't figured out why I chose to duel you here? Want me to tell you?"

Yami looked at him, wanting to hear the reason for how Haga's monster was more powerful than his.

"Pegasus gave me a **preview** of the new rules for Duelist Kingdom. Curious, are you? Just look at the table!"

He was shocked to see what was in front of him.

"What in-a landscape on the table display?"

"That's right! There's many battle boxes around this island and each one of them carry field boost for monsters in each area. This one has 80% forest and 20% wasteland."

"I see, Haga brought me here so his monsters can become more powerful than mine," he thought.

"In other words, my insect cards have the upper hand and you don't even have a chance of winning, Yugi!"

Yami chuckled.

"Huh? What's so funny!," Haga demanded.

"Heh. Take a look at your monster."

Haga looked at his "Killer Needle" and saw it was burning away with smoke.

"Wha-ahh! M-My "Killer Needle", it's dying in thin air!," he cried out loud. "Yugi's "Mammoth Graveyard" must've gotten the power boost from the 20% wasteland! How could I forget about that!"

"Listen, Haga! I knew from the moment I sat down at this table, I have already figured out the rules, thinking that you thought I didn't know anything like a moron. It's a shame, you're the only insect next to me!"

Haga got irritated so badly.

"Fucking Yugi! How'd he learn the rules so quickly?"

Yami smiled, knowing that he gotten Haga pissed. "Why did Pegasus decided to hold his tournament on a island?" That's a question I couldn't get off my mind for a while now. However, after sitting down with the table in front of me, I'd observed the display of the landscape and solved that puzzle!"

Haga looked shocked.

"All around this island battle boxes are located on several areas. Those areas contain power source for certain type of monsters, depending where people decide to duel. With it, it gives the duelist an advantage to crush their opponent if they have their deck consisting with monsters of those places but only if they know how it works."

"Tsk. You did do your observations carefully after all, Yugi," Haga confessed. "You figured out that my insect cards would get an advantage in this duel before we even started!"

"That's right!"

"Hmph. But there's also other rules about the power source that you still aren't aware of! If my secret's out then let's fight! I'll turn this forest into your grave! **Battle Restart!** "

The gang kept cheering on from outside of the battle box. "C'mon, Yugi! Squish 'em!," Jonounchi and Honda shouted proudly.

"Go for it, Yugi!," Anzu yelled.

Yami's smile was pure confidence. He knew that he'll win this duel with no doubt when he has his friends to cheer him on.

"Usagi, I hope you're doing well in your duels...," he thought with pleasure, "because I soon want to experience your dueling skills to see what an excellent duelist you are."


	7. Friends Forever

From the other side of the forest, over the mountains, was the grasslands where Beast-Warrior and Warrior type monsters gain power due to the power boost. There, Usagi dueled the triplets one by one, taking down each one of their monsters with her "Sailor" monsters, along with Bakura cheering for her outside of the battle box. They may seemed cute and all but they were definitely some cards to never mess with. Pegasus made the cards specifically only for her, meaning that there was only one or two type of each cards to exist in the entire game of Duel Monsters. Usagi had deep love for her deck, not only because she had it for five years but because the monsters were like her friends back then. Dueling her mother with them was a very cherished moment. Ikuko knew a lot about the game but was quite shocked at the point when she lost her remaining life points from "Sailor Jupiter's Lightning Razor Fist" attack. It's been awhile since Usagi dueled Ikuko but later on got many requests from all over Juuban to challenge her into a duel, bringing up Usagi's reputation by a high amount, thanks to her cards. Unfortunately, deep within her heart, she knew they weren't real and always hoped that some day, she'll finally have the courage to make real friends until the time had came when she met Yugi and his friends.

"Okay! Time to finish this!," Usagi declared in a nice tone. "Go, Sailor Venus! Chained Heart Dagger Strike!"

The pretty monster appearance contained a orange sailor suit with frills running down on its orange skirt. In her bright yellow hair, she wore a fancy red bow on the back.

Sailor Venus: ATK/2000»2600 DEF/1600»2200 (Power Boost)

Effect: Monsters can't activate their effects as long as this card stays on the field.

Level: 6

The last triplet didn't had any card capable to stop the attack from destroying her "D.D Warrior Lady " and sadly, it was in attack mode. In addition, she was with only 300 life points left.

D.D Warrior Lady: ATK/1500»2100 DEF/1600»2200 (Power Boost)

Effect: After battling with a monster, banish that monster and this card.

Level: 4

Sailor Venus was able to jump to the air and strike down the opponent's monster with its chained heart-shaped dagger sharply through the chest, onto the field with fantasy blood running out of the monster's sliced body part.

Triplet #3: LP/0

The monster was defeated and the Chinese triplet's remaining life points fell to zero.

Winner: Usagi Tsukino

"I...lost...!," the triplet murmured sadly.

Usagi stood up from her side of the table and stretched out her right arm with an open hand. "That was an excellent duel! Well done!," she congratulated with a warm smile.

The triplet smiled back and shook her hand. "Thanks. My sisters and I had a great time dueling you, to be honest. You're probably the only duelist who gave us a hard time."

Both of them got out of the battle box as the other two sisters and Bakura came up to them.

"You were incredible, Usagi!," Bakura pointed out. "With those dueling skills, you'll surely be in the castle in no time!"

"Thank you, Bakura. I'm also thankful for your help of cheering me through the entire duels," Usagi noted, "it's better to have someone by your side to give you support rather than being independent all the time."

Their conversation lowered down as the one of the triplets came forward in front of Usagi. She held her hand up and open it to show three star chips laying on the palm of her hand.

"Here. They're for you to keep," she said as she dropped them on Usagi's deligate hand. "Also we're sorry for not introducing ourselves in the beginning. I'm Hana. To my left is my sister, Attakai and to the right is my other sister, Hikari. We're high-ranked duelists from Domino City but we previously use to duel back at Asia in China. My sisters and I love dueling other high-ranked duelists like you but we usually win against them because we have each other's backs so it was a surprise that all three of us lost to you," Hana explained throughly.

Usagi placed the star chips on her glove then looked back at the triplets with a smile that would brighten up their feelings.

"I know how you all feel. I do too need support from people who I care about like my friends. Doing something alone is nice but sometimes you'll need someone to be there for you when you're struggling to accomplish it."

The triplet's slightly disappointed face faded away when she heard those words being spoken.

"Thank you, Usagi. I'll remember that it's important to have people who are close to your heart to fight by your side when you need it. They'll be the ones who give you the courage to fight till the end."

The sisters walked away from the area and waved goodbye at Usagi and Bakura.

"Till we meet again, we'll be prepared!," Hana declared confidently.

"I'll be looking forward to our next duel!," Usagi answered back.

As they left, she turned her attention to Bakura who looked like he had something to say.

"Hey, Bakura, what do you think is important to you in life?"

He thought for awhile.

"Honestly, many things can mean a lot to others but to me, it's friends. What do you think it would be like if you were to stay away from everybody you care about and only think about yourself and future?"

"I'm not sure, Bakura but it's best to care for someone you love rather than caring about yourself all the time."

Bakura nodded.

"Well, we better get going now, Bakura. I don't want miss out on Yami's duel," said Usagi.

Bakura walked while Usagi was following behind him, ready to go back with their group of friends. Little did she know, she was actually following the spirit of the Millennium Ring that somehow gotten the good Bakura to wear the cursed ring over his neck.

"Those words that Usagi had just spoken...they seem quite familiar to me...could she truly be the one with the power of the Silver Crystal...?," the spirit thought, "her beautiful appearance equally matches the same moon princess back from 3,000 years ago...but does she hold the same power from before...?"

The spirit that controlled Bakura stopped all of the sudden, making Usagi trip a little over the stems of trees that were coming from the forest area, over the rocky mountains.

"Bakura...what's wrong?," she asked.

"Nothing. Let's keep going now."

Usagi didn't feel assured with his answer but continued to walk, still thinking about the way he replied to her question.

"That's weird. Bakura would usually reply in such a happy tone even if it's just a question but his tone was deeper and duller. Is that really him?"

Meanwhile, during Yami's duel against Haga, Haga had the upper hand at that moment because he had played so many insect monsters with high attack points on the the field looking like an infected garden full of bugs. One by one, Haga killed each one of Yami's defense monsters, leaving him not many to summon left.

"Yuk Yuk Yuk! It's time to celebrate your death, Yugi! This duel is way easier than I thought it would be! I don't even think it was worth fighting you at all!"

Haga laughed insanely and ended his turn, leaving yet another monster on the field to freely attack Yami's next defense monster, that is, if he has any left to summon.

"Grr...it's my turn. I summon "Black Magician" in defense mode," he noted as the dark mage appeared on the field on his knees. Of course, Yami wasn't a duelist to fool around with. He planted his trump card down on the field, waiting for Haga to get captured by it like a bear trap.

Black Magician: ATK/2500 DEF/2100

Level: 7

"Oho...the "Black Magician"! That's one of your best cards, isn't it? Instead of indiscriminately raining doom on you, like I was planning, I'll **kill** that first!" "Hrr...!" "Let's go! "Basic Insect Laser Cannon!" Your target, the "Black Magician!" ATTAAACK!"

Basic Insect: ATK/500»2600 DEF/700»2800 (Equipped with a magic card and powered up by power boost)

Level: 2

"HAHAHA!!! DEATH! DEATH TO THE MAGICIAN!"

Yami chuckles with his eyes looking directly at Haga.

"Huh? What's so funny!," Haga asked, badly irritated to see that grin on Yugi's face when he's about to win.

"You said "attack," right? It's too late to take it back now!"

"Huh!?"

"Remember that card I placed face down?"

"N-No way...a trap card!?!"

"That's right! When you called out an attack, you fell for it!," Yami announced loudly.

Mirror Force: Trap Card

Effect: When an opponent's monster attacks, destory all their monsters that are in attack position.

"GAAAHH! NO! MY INSECT ARMY! THEY'RE DESTROYED!," Haga cried worriedly.

Insector Haga: LP/450

"Heh heh. You must've won the tournament by dumb luck. The weakest duelist on this island...is you!" Yami yelled. "You heard me! You're a weakling!"

"Yeah! Way to go, Yugi!," Jonouchi cheered happily.

"Using a trap card to counter another, Yugi, you're a genius!," Honda pointed out.

"Yay, Yugi!," Anzu cheered along with the others. "You're truly a great duelist!"

"Tee hee hee, that was smooth alright..but Yugi-chan has only taken a small lead."

The words that were coming from behind them was no other than Mai Kujaku.

"Yugi-chan?! How dare she call him that! He's not a kid!," Anzu fumed in her mind.

"Oohh! Mai Kujaku!," said both Jonouchi and Honda as they looked over Anzu to get a glimpse at the beautiful bold female.

"A Duel Monster game can go from victory to defeat in one turn. It's too early to get cocky!," Mai noted.

The boys drooling faces quickly made Anzu almost as irritated as Haga.

"Stupid blonde! Why's she butting in all of the sudden and then calling Yugi, "Yugi-chan!" She clearly doesn't know how to respect personal space."

"Hey, what happen to Usagi? Did she already quitted your little group of friends?"

"Of course not! Usagi went to duel somewhere else and then meet up with us again!," Anzu replied with anger slithering through her tongue.

"Really? Or did she left to stay away from your loud annoying cheering?"

"Grr...!"

Mai smirked at Anzu then looked back at the rest of the group.

"Listen...Insector Haga is the Japanese Champion! He's a master planner with several winning strategies! The **real** duel is just starting so stop getting your hopes up!"

"I gotta agree with Mai, Anzu!," Jonouchi confessed.

"Yeah, me too!," Honda confirmed.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys!," Anzu yelled. "Just wait till you get beaten by Usagi, Mai! She'll teach you some manners!," Anzu thought.

Bakura and Usagi were barely entering the forest looking for the battle box hidden within the trees. The afternoon was getting passed by faster than Usagi thought it would.

"Hey, Bakura, have you spotten anything yet?," Usagi asked. "I seem to have forgotten where the box is located at."

He chuckled for some unknown reason.

"Umm...Bakura?"

"Hehehe...I found something way more important than that...Usagi...and that's you!"

The Millennium Ring then was visible now that it was out on his knitted sweater.

"B-Bakura...no...the spirit of the Millennium Ring, what do you want from me?"

"Please, call me Dark Bakura and don't worry about what I'm going to do to you..."

He lifted the cursed ring and pointed at Usagi.

"Now, Usagi, would you do the honors to sleep while I look through your soul?"

Before she could even answer, her eyes shutted down and was about to fall over but Dark Bakura caught her in his arms on time. He rested Usagi against to the nearest oak tree and kneeled down.

"Now let's see if you're truly the one with this power...Usagi...or should I say...princess."

He closed his eyes and began observing what lays within the soul of Usagi Tsukino. It was something out if the ordinary. Never Dark Bakura have ever seen something so unique before. There was a beaming light of hope coming from a precious prepossessing crystal slowly spinning with warmth glowing around it. It could easily erase any speck of darkness that would be wandering in anybody's soul.

"Hehehe...it is her after all...and looks like the crystal is still developing its power...that could be the reason why Usagi collapsed so quickly...and knew that I was the spirit of the ring right away..."

Dark Bakura opened his eyes again looked at Usagi. No doubt, her beauty was still the same from millennials ago but was she the actual princess back then rather than just a reincarnation?

"Interesting...I'll be watching you, Usagi...for now...I will be waiting in the Millennium Ring while my host, Bakura, watches over you for me..."

The spirit went back inside the ring and the other Bakura was back but with confusion on his face.

"Huh? What hap-"

Bakura stopped his words as soon as he looked down at his chest to see the cursed ring hanging on his neck. He took it off quickly as possible and placed it back into his backpack.

"What a fright! I don't remember wearing the Millennium Ring at all! I hope nothing strange happened...with...him..."

Usagi slowly opened her sapphire eyes and noticed Bakura looking at her with a worried face.

"Bakura? You look frightened...did something went wrong?," she asked softly. "Because I don't remember what we were doing here."

"Hmm...oh! That's right! We were looking for the battle box where Yami and Haga are dueling in," Bakura answered. "Here. Let me help you get up."

Bakura grabbed Usagi's hand and pulled her up from the ground of dead grass.

"Thanks, Bakura. I appreciate your helpfulness very much."

He blushed.

"Anything for a friend, Usagi. Now let's go with others. They're probably wondering when we will show up and I just hope we're not too late to see Yami's duel."

During the duel, Haga insulted Yami after his army of insects had fallen to their graves but secretly, he had the "ulimate weapon" hiding in his deck.

"Hmph. Your field looks quite empty, Haga. How about try summoning a monster?," Yami asked sarcastically.

"Shut up! You'll pay for what you did," Haga shouted back.

"Talking is cheap. Take your frustration and send me it through your cards...then I'll send it back to you!," Yami shot back.

"Grrr...I draw!," Haga announced. "Hehe. If I can play this card, win will surely be in my hands! Yugi, you can't escape your death!," he thought coldly.

"C'mon, Haga. Play your monster already!"

"I know that! I play "Larvae Moth" in defense mode!"

Larvae Moth: ATK/500 DEF/400

Level: 2

"Haga summoned "Larvae Moth" to the field...strange choice to make especially when it has low attack and defense points. He must be planning a combo with that card..."

Yami wasn't sure if he should attack or not but on the looks of it, he believed he shouldn't since there was still a face-down card on Haga's side of the field and could likely be a trap card waiting to be activiated as soon as Yami declared an attack.

"Heh heh. I won't be falling for that trick. One careless attack and I might lose all monsters, making me completely vulnerable. I could even lose most of my life!"

Haga sat there with a smirk.

"Go on, Yugi...attack me!"

"I must get rid of his trap card!," Yami thought. "I active "Monster Recovery"! Return to your cards!"

All at once, Yami's monsters disappeared into his deck then he drew three cards after shuffling it.

Monster Recovery: Magic Card

Effect: Take all your monsters from your side of the field and combine it with your deck. At the same time, shuffle your entire hand with the deck and shuffle it. Then draw three cards from the shuffled deck.

"Hmph. Very smart...avoiding my trap!," Haga thought disappointly.

Yami studied the cards he drew and formed smile.

"From those cards I just drew, I pick my **weakest** card to sacrifice it to set off your trap!"

He summoned "Kuriboh" and exploded when Yami declared an attack with it.

Kuriboh: ATK/300 DEF/1300

Effect: At the damage step, when a monster attacks, you can send this card from your hand to the graveyard to take no damage from the attacking monster.

Level: 2

Yami: LP/1050

"Now your trap card is destroyed...at minimal cost to me!"

Haga was miffed.

"Next I play "Louise the Beaver Warrior" and end my turn!," Yami stated.

Beaver Warrior: ATK/1200 DEF/1500

Level: 4

"Heh heh...HYUK YUK YUK YUK!" Haga laughed chaotically.

Yami's smirk changed into a serious face expression, knowing that Haga lost his mind at that very moment when he ended his turn.

"You fool! You've done exactly what I wanted!"

"What?"

"This is my trump card, Yugi! The "Cacoon of Evolution"!! I equip it on "Larvae Moth!"

The larvae monster had silk wrapping around it like a blanket, transforming itself into a cacoon.

"Wh-what? "Larvae Moth" has been surrounded by a giant cacoon!," Yami pointed out, his crismon eyes studying the massive cocoon that stood in front of him.

Cacoon of Evolution: ATK/0 DEF/2000»2600 (Power boost)

Effect: When played on "Larvae Moth," it evolves into "Ultimate Perfect Great Moth" in five turns. While equipped, the ATK and DEF of "Larvae Moth" becomes the same as "Cocoon of Evolution."

"Yuk Yuk Yuk! For the next five turns, "Larvae Moth" will gradually evolve into the "Ultimate Perfect Great Moth"! If that happens, the great moth will be invulnerable!!," Haga stated loudly.

Yami was shocked.

"What's more due to the power source, it's defense rises high up making it nearly impossible to touch it with any cards!! In five turns, my moth will chew you up like an old coat!"

Yami was worried about the situation he was in right now.

"This is bad...! If that cacoon hatches by the end of the fifth turn, I won't be able to win! I have to destroy the cacoon before that happens!"

It was now Yami's turn to draw card.

"Here we go! I'll play "Gaia the Fierce Knight" to the field! Attack the cacoon with "Spiral Saber!!"

Gaia the Fierce Knight: ATK/2300 DEF/2100

Level: 6

Usagi and Bakura finally arrived to the area where all their friends were waiting for them. Usagi instantly looked surprised to what monster Yami was up against inside of the battle box.

"It's no use, Yugi! The saber bounces right off and now you lose life points! Hahaha!," Haga pointed out and laughed at the same time.

"He's right. With the power boost raising the monster's defense, I can't penetrate it! Another careless attack will cost my remaining life points...!," Yami thought worriedly.

Usagi stood in shock to see him losing his courage to win the duel.

"Yami! Don't give up!," she cheered. "No matter the odds of winning, there's always a way to get through the biggest conflicts!"

Yami turned to see her courageous face looking directly into his eyes.

"Usagi..."

"C'mon, Yugi!," Anzu motivated.

"Haven't you beaten that cacoon yet?," Jonouchi asked.

Mai chuckled quietly. "How sad to see them still cheering on Yugi thinking that he can win...the "Cacoon of Evolution" combo is something that no one has ever beaten. What will you do, Yugi?"

Yami: LP/750

"Give it up, Yugi! Your cards can't budge the cacoon!"

Yami couldn't stand hearing Haga telling him about his slim chances of winning the duel, even if they were true.

"None of my monster cards are good in the forest. Even if I use a multiple card combo, with my current hand, there's no card to surpass the cacoon's high defense!," Yami thought.

"Luckily for you, Yugi, I can't play another card until the "Cacoon of Evolution" reaches to its ultimate form. In other words, my turn comes to an end but monster is evolving steadly for each turn...what now, Yugi?"

"Tch...I'm **wasting** my turns and yet I still haven't found a solution...will I be beaten?" Yami's annoyed and low-confident face brought joy to Haga.

"Hehehe...just two more turns until the great moth finally hatches...I win!"

"Go, Yugi! You can do it!" Bakura, Jonouchi and Honda encouraged.

"You've gone too far, Yugi! Don't give up now!," Anzu stated.

Usagi threw a fist to the battle box to get Yami's attention.

"Listen to me, Yugi! We three came to the tournament to win the **honors of the duelist king**! Even burn down the whole forest if that what it takes to beat that cacoon!," Usagi encouraged with all her heart.

Yami then created an idea from her words.

"Hmph. You amateurs talk too much. Once a duelist sits down for match, he or she will only hear themself. Yugi won't listen if you guys just keep repeating, "Yugi!" "Yugi!" all the time," said Mai calmly.

"He'll listen to us! He will hear our feelings, Mai!," Anzu announced.

"What a softie."

"Just you watch! Yugi will win!" Mai's bored face then turned into a surprise expression when she saw Yami looking at them with a bright confident smile and a big thumbs up.

"He's ready to go guys!," Jonouchi noted.

"Yugi, you **can** do it!," Anzu and Usagi cheered happily.

"Does that mean...he found a way out of this solution?," Mai thought.

"Go, "Curse of Dragon"! Burn down the cacoon with "Flames of Hell"! Combo Attack!"

Curse Dragon: ATK/2000 DEF/1500

Level: 5

"I told you, stupid! Your dragon's attack power is 600 points lower than my cacoon! Why are you atta-"

"Heh heh...who said I was going to attack the cacoon? I'm burning the forest itself!"

"Wh-What!?"

Burning Land: Continuous Magic Card

Effect: Destroy all Field magic cards.

"No way! The forest is...the forest is burning away into ashes!," Haga cried.

Yami smirked.

"Now that the field power is gone, the "Cacoon of Evolution" no longer has high defense. Therefore it is now easier to defeat it!"

"Urk..!"

"Go, "Gaia the Fierce Knight"! Take down that cacoon once and for all!"

Gaia grasped onto his sharp pointed spear and stabbed the cacoon deeply.

"Yeah! That cacoon is toast!," Jonouchi announced gleefully.

"W-Wait guys! What's that hiding within the cacoon?," Bakura asked as he looked at the burnt cacoon.

"The monster is still alive!?," Usagi thought.

Everyone was surprised.

"Hehe...my cacoon may didn't reach it's final form but it did get to reach to "Great Moth"! It's still powerful enough to take you down, Yugi!"

Great Moth(Evolution Stage 4): ATK/2600 DEF/2500

"Hehe...when I see a tougher monster, I get excited!"

Yami looked at Usagi from inside the battle box and smiled.

"Thank you, Usagi."

She smiled back.

"I'm here when you need support and courage, Yami, because that's what a friend does to show their love."


	8. Your Choice

The duel against Haga was quite rough for Yami to get through but now that Haga's "Great Moth" was on the field, Yami somehow knew that this duel was coming to an end. It was only a matter of time until he wins Haga's star chips and shut him down.

"IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! THIS IS "GREAT MOTH, EVOLUTION STAGE FOUR"! GET READY TO DIE YUGI!," Haga yelled across the table insanely. "Nothing will save you now!!"

Yami didn't look like he was going to have much problem with this monster but that didn't mean that he was going to let his guard down. Haga was still up for the duel.

"I managed to defeat the cacoon before it reached to its final form...but...what will I do to defeat this?"

Yami's friends kept on cheering for him to make sure he had all the confidence and the courage he needed to win the duel. Usagi did her best to have Yami win just like how she won against the triplets and won three star chips.

"Go, Yugi! Your friends are here to support you!," Usagi inspirited.

"Yeah! That monster may look hard to kill but you'll figure out way to get rid of it soon!," Jonouchi shouted.

Mai didn't say anything to them. "Haga turned the tables," she thought. "Watch out, Yugi."

"Hahaha! Who's laughing now, Yugi! Who's laughing **now**? Did my monster make **fear** shiver down your spine?"

Yami shook his head.

"Heh heh...I was just picturing in my head... how to swat your overgrown mosquito!"

"Oooh! How scary...I would like to see you try!"

"We're on!"

"Let's go!"

"Battle!," they proclaimed at once.

The enormous moth rised above the table with its wings flapping back and forth, creating wind currents there non-stop.

"It's going to attack from the air!," Yami thought, his eyes following the monster's movement.

"Hehehe...on my turn, the "Great Moth" will fly above the table and target "Curse of Dragon" as its attack target. "Gaia the Fierce Knight" is unable to fly so attacking will be useless, not to mention that it is weaker than my moth. Although Yugi's dragon is capable of flight, it's much weaker and easier to kill!"

Yami gritted his teeth.

"First, "Great Moth" attacks the "Earth Bound Knight" and "Beaver Warrior!"

"This is bad! Gaia is my main offense right now! One attack from "Great Moth" and I lose!"

He drew his final card before Haga declared an attack.

"It all depends on this one card! I hope it's something to help me out right now...!"

He drew "Polymerization."

Polymerization: Magic Card

Effect: Fuse two or more monsters from your hand or field.

"You're done for, Yugi! So much for that useless card you drew! Go my monster! Destory "Gaia the Fierce Knight" and end his life! " **Moth Hurricane!"**

Yami stared down at the table with surprised eyes, observing the attack that headed towards Gaia rapidly.

" **Hurts** , doesn't it? The powerful winds created by those huge wings blasts any land bound monsters into dust in an instant!! Gaia is **dead**!!"

Haga looked at Yami, wanting to see his face pleading for mercy but unexpectedly, he was smiling, just like every time when he thought of a resolution to a problem.

"Heh heh...you think Gaia is dead? Think again, Haga."

"Huh!?"

"You probably don't understand the card I just played, do you?"

"Wh...what!? That's..."Gaia the Dragon Champion!"

Gaia the Dragon Champion: ATK/2600(Power increses due to "Polymerization") DEF/2100

"That's right! I used "Polymerization" to combine two of my faithful servants into one!"

"Tsk...you combined "Gaia the Fierce Knight" and "Curse of Dragon"...!"

"Correct! Now both of our monsters have the same attack points. And we can enjoy an air battle!"

"Heh heh... HYUK YUK YUK YUK YUK YUK!!"

Again, Haga lost his mind.

"Same attack, huh? I wonder about that, Yugi!"

Yami knew in an instant that something was wrong.

"Look at your monster, dissolving into steaming liquid."

"What!?," he gasped.

"Gaia the Dragon Champion" was melting down from a strange pollen surrounding it. That pollen was bringing down it's attack points.

Gaia the Dragon Champion: ATK/2600»2100

"Unbelievable! Gaia's attack points is falling down as I watch! Why in the world?"

"Heh heh... allow me to explain! "Great Moth's" attack not only blows away flightless monsters...it scatters poison pollen to every one of your monsters, dropping down their attack points."

"Poison Pollen!"

"If you don't do anything quickly, your monster's attack will decay!"

Yami gripped onto his cards a little tighter.

"Shit! Haga's "Great Moth" has infected my monster... meaning that it most definitely can't attack his moth at all. If the attack gets any lower, he'll surely attack Gaia. Then, I **will** lose if that happens!"

He drew a card from his deck, hoping that it was a card that'll help him get rid of the infected pollen.

"I play this! "Magic Mist!"

"What!?," Haga thought.

Magic Mist: Magic Card

Effect: Water vapor surrounds all monsters on the field.

"Hrm?! A drizzle in the air? A cloud of mist appears on the field?!"

Usagi took a close look at the magic card Yami had played.

"Nice thinking, Yami. You stopped the poison pollen from lowering Gaia's attack...but...how will you beat the "Great Moth" now?" _You must have a strategy by now._

Mai noticed Usagi's concerned yet determined eyes focusing on Yugi closely. She knew that Usagi wasn't losing hope for his victory.

"Usagi... do you really believe that Yugi will win?," she asked. "If so, tell me how."

Usagi turned her attention to Mai, her eyes still filled with hope. Completely clear of doubt.

"Yes. I'll assure you that Yugi will win this duel. At the certain situation, he may not look like he's doing well but from what I see, his eyes says it all. Losing isn't an option for Yugi."

"Hmm...interesting. But **how** will he win?"

"By believing in himself, his friends, and trusting in his cards. That's what it takes to win as a true duelist."

Mai nodded in response.

 _Hmph. I won many duels without the help of anyone. It only takes skills to win, and that's what I know from what I went through in life._

Back to the duel, Haga wasn't scared to see Yugi stop the poison pollen. His moth was still high in attack points.

"YUK YUK! You think you're so smart to stop the poison pollen! It may stopped decreasing Gaia's attack but it's now much easier to defeat! Go my moth! " **Moth Burning Death Tornado**!"

A sharp blast of thick wind was headed to "Gaia the Fierce Knight" at high speed.

 _Will Yami actually lose?_

"Oh no! Yugi!," Anzu cried softly.

"Is...is this it?," Jonouchi thought sadly. "Is this the end...?"

Usagi expression didn't change. Her hopes hasn't fallen yet as though, she knew that the end wasn't near for Yami but for Haga.

"C'mon, Yami. This is your chance...!'

Haga laughed with delight.

"AT LAST! AT LAST! I HAVE FINALLY WON! I BEATED YU-" His words came to a stop. His attack didn't brought Yugi's life points down at all.

"Ha Ha indeed," Yami chuckled with a smile slowly forming on his sharp face.

"Wh...hrm...WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT THIS TIME!!," Haga yelled.

"Hehehe...you've fallen into my trap. "Gaia the Dragon Champion" was a decoy!"

"A decoy...A DECOY!"

"Now it's my turn! I'll attack "Great Moth" with **this** card! The "Summoned Demon!"

Summoned Demon: ATK/2500 DEF/1200

Haga worries were brought down at a minimum.

"Whew! I thought I was done for until Yugi summoned that monster. It's weaker than "Great Moth" and if "Summoned Demon" attacks it...Yugi will lose his remaining life points, making me be the winner of this duel."

Yami was laughing to see Haga lack of knowledge of his strategy. He **is** dumb after all.

"You still haven't figured out why I played, "Magic Mist" onto the field, along with my demon?"

Haga shook with fright and tense.

"Oh noooo!! Because of "Magic Mist," my moth is wet!"

"Your so called "powerful" moth is weak against my strategy! I have created a combo using "Magic Mist" to bring up "Summoned Demon's" attack since lighting becomes more conductive with water! "Demon Lighting!!"

Shocks of lighting striked down the sopping moth who's wings began tearing apart, bit by bit until it was completely demolished.

"AAAGH! IT WAS SHOT DOWN! MY...MOTH... IT'S DEAD!!"

Insector Haga: LP/0

Winner: Yugi Muto

"Yay! He did it! Yugi won!," the gang cheered gleefully outside of the battle box.

Usagi was filled with joy to see Yami win his first duel. It was something she'll keep as a cherished memory. "I knew you could do it, Yami. For that, you've shown that no matter how hard situations can get, there's always a way to overcome those obstacles."

Mai smiled but not because of Yugi's victory; she knew his strategy of beating duelists.

"Hehe...if I ever end up dueling Yugi, I would already know what he'll plan and do...perfect!"

Haga was slumped. His eyes were full of disappointment and his face was pale due to the fright he had to go through of his loss.

"This...can't be true...," Haga murmured, staring up of the battle box.

"Now, now...those are the rules. I'll be taking these two star chips!," Yami noted as he took the star chips and juggled them with his right hand.

"Why you... you...!"

"So the first person to be eliminated of this tournament is the Japanese Champion...heh heh...NOW GET OUT OF THIS ISLAND, INSECT! OR I'LL RIP OFF YOUR LEGS ONE BY ONE!!"

Eliminated: Insector Haga

Yami placed his star chips on his duel glove.

"I have three star chips now! Seven away from entering Pegasus's castle."

Yami stepped out of the duel box and greeted his friends with a warm smile. He didn't win because of his skills but because his friends were there to support him with confidence, especially Usagi. Jonouchi congratulated Yami then stepped into the box to confront Haga.

"Hehe! Since you've been stumped bug boy, how 'bout giving that glove to me?," he asked. "It's not like you'll be here any longer anyways."

Haga gritted his teeth angrily but there was no use to keep the glove if he's not participating anymore. He gave it to Jonouchi.

"Grrr...just take it!!"

Jonouchi took it with pleasure and placed his one star chip on it. He felt a bit upset about the fact that he's now the only duelist in the entire island with one lonely star chip.

"Gee...I should better hurry up if I ever want to enter the castle," he thought, looking down at his glove as he walked out.

"Hey, Jonouchi... what's with the face?," Honda questioned.

"Huh? Oh! Nothing! Let's get out of this forest now! I still need to win some duels too!"

Anzu sighed.

"Uh, guys...do you think Jonouchi will be fine?"

Usagi came by her side and began walking with her. She had a positive expression.

"Don't worry, Anzu. I'm sure he'll figure out a way to duel with his deck somehow. I'm just hoping that he knows soon."

"Yeah. I also hope that he's smart enough too."

Jonouchi turned his head around and gave Anzu a bothered face.

"I heard that!"

Both teenage girls laughed. Bakura was walking besides Usagi from her left and Yami walked in front of them with Jonouchi and Honda. Yami stopped suddenly. The rest stopped as well then he turned around to Usagi.

"Say, Usagi...how many star chips have you won so far?"

She held up her right hand to show him.

"Five."

"F-Five!? That fast!?," Jonouchi and Honda gasped.

"That's right guys! Usagi here is a tough lady when it comes to dueling!," Bakura pointed out. "She's a remarkable duelist alright!"

"Man, I can imagine how Mai would look if she was beaten by Usagi. No doubt, Usagi will definitely be the winner," Anzu thought.

Yami didn't look surprise as though he knew that she would win against the Chinese triplets.

"That's great, Usagi. You might actually get a chance to be the first duelist to get to the castle," Yami assumed.

She smiled.

"Yeah...maybe. You're also a talented duelist yourself after beating the Japanese Champion. I believe that you'll be first to accomplish that, Yami."

Jonouchi's self-esteem lowered down a bit.

"Yami and Usagi are really well-known duelists here for their techniques in duels. I'm still a novice compared to them. I don't know if I can do this...," he thought. "But I know that I still have to try my hardest if I ever want Shizuka to recover her eyesight before it's too late!"

"Uh...Jonouchi...?," said Bakura after realizing the mix of confidence and bravery on his face, "...are you okay?"

"I'm hyped up, Bakura! Let's get going for the duels that awaits beyond this forest!"

Anzu and Honda had bored faces.

"Is Jonouchi really going to be okay?," Anzu asked.

Honda shrugged.

"I don't know. Doesn't he realize that there's strong duelist all over this island? I'm not even sure if he'll actually be able to reach the finals," Honda replied. "I guess we will just have to cheer him for now...then it's up to him!"

Anzu nodded.

"Yes. Yugi...Usagi...please help Jonouchi save his sister, Shizuka, from going blind...!"

The gang roamed the forest for a short amount of time until they had reached the grasslands. The whole area was covered with grass and other small plants. Wind blew across the cliff where the sea was seen below with it's tides going back and forth swiftly. The sun was passing faster by every hour but thankfully, time doesn't pass by that quickly.

"Hey! I bet the view is great from that hill! Let's go guys!," Jonouchi noted, running up the hill of grass.

"Geez! This isn't a field trip you know!," Anzu answered back.

"Let him go, Anzu. What else would you expect him to do?," said Usagi. "Besides, it honestly looks pretty up here."

As Jonouchi reached to the end of the cliff, he let the cool wind blow against his blonde hair. It felt nice.

"What a great view..." he thought, thinking about the times when he was a child and always observed the beauty of the ocean reafs. He immediately thought of Shizuka.

"Shizuka...I promise you...I'll show you a scenery like this someday...I promise...!"

The rest of the gang came up behind Jonouchi not long after he thought of those words. They view the sea with him.

It was quite for a moment then Anzu broke the silence after noticing other duelists were dueling already in the battle boxes that were scattered around there.

"Hey, look!," she ordered, pointing at the other side of the grasslands. "There's way more battle boxes around here than in the forest!"

"You're right! Duelists are starting to duel too," Usagi pointed out.

"Heh heh...looks like the other duelists finally got over their cold feet..." Yami thought.

"Awright! Next time, I'm gonna duel!," Jonouchi declared.

"Yeah, make sure you pick a weak duelist first!," Honda suggested.

"He's right, Jonouchi. After the duel of Yami and Haga, you can't randomly pick your opponent since many duelists here know how to play the game well. You have to be careful with your choice," Usagi informed. "Also the area you will duel on."

"Yeah, I know, Usagi. Based on the field you choose, your monsters either get stronger or weaker. I got it!," he replied.

"Correct, Jonouchi. Just like what Usagi said, duelists here are ready. By now, most of them should have figured out the rules of this island. They'll stake out their areas where their monsters get an advantage and wait for a duelist to pass by," Yami explained throughly.

He nodded in response.

"By the way, what field works great with your monster cards?," Bakura wondered.

Jonouchi took out his deck from his pocket and began going through his cards one by one.

"I have a lot of "Warrior" and "Beast-Warrior" cards, so I guess it would be "Sogen"...the plains."

"So that means right here is Jonouchi's territory. The mountains to the left and the sea to the right. You should stay around then...," Honda noted.

"We're done here! Give me your star chips and leave!"

The demanding voice came from behind them, running though their ears.

"Th-That voice...," Bakura murmured. "It's coming from that battle box over there!"

"Run home to your mommy...little boy. I hate having to see you cry like that! Tee hee!"

"I...lost!," the duelist declared hopelessly.

"It's Mai Kujaku!," Honda pointed out with a blush.

"She already has four star chips!," Jonouchi announced.

"I went easy on you because you're a girl...serves me right...but I didn't pay attention because of that thing you did with the cards! How'd you do it? How could you read your cards when they still **face** down!?," the duelist asked desperately.

Mai turned her head to look at his questioning face.

"That...is my secret."

She got out of the battle box, running out happily while singing a happy tune.

"One step closer to the prize money!"

Mai slowed down to see Yugi and Usagi standing there in front of the rest of their gang. She smiled to see that there was other duelists she can win star chips from. So she began walking towards them and greeted both Yugi and Usagi excitedly.

"Tee hee! How are your duels going, Usagi and Yugi?"

"Pretty well, Mai," Usagi answered.

"Not bad," Yami responded.

Mai observed the number of star chips each one of them were in their possession.

"Hmm. Usagi has five star chips so far. I can tell she's going to be a tough duelist to beat while Yugi only has three but it wouldn't be wise to duel him either since he defeated Insector Haga. That only means one thing..."

She looked at Jonouchi.

"If I beat him, he'll get out of this island and I get to keep his star chip. It won't be a big deal to defeat him."

Mai smirked.

"Okay. I've decided! I want to have a duel!," she declared loudly.

Mai raised her arm and lowered it down to make her index finger pointing out at Jonouchi.

"I challenge you, Jonouchi!"

The whole gang was surprised, even Yami.

"N-Nani? M-Me?," Jonouchi stuttered.

"You won't run away, will you... little boy?," Mai teased.

Jonouchi got serious. He just got challenged by a high-rank duelist out of nowhere. He knew this wouldn't be easy for him.

"As a duelist, of course I would love to fight Usagi! But with the rules of the island, that wouldn't be a good idea. First, I need to crush all the weaklings and collect star chips! I'll fight Usagi after that...tee hee...!"

"Urk...!"

"What a...! But she's right! That's how Duelist Kingdom works!," Yami thought.

"Jonouchi, you can't beat that women! She's way too skilled in this game than you!," Anzu noted.

"If you lose, you'll get thrown out of the tournament for good!," Honda warned.

"Don't accept her challenge!"

"You should have Yugi to duel for you instead!," Bakura suggested.

"C'mon, Yugi. You tell him!"

"Enough!," Usagi scolded.

A hush of silence spread across the conversation. Nobody said a word after that.

"You have to stop deciding for him! It may not be the best idea to duel Mai but either way, it's his choice to make!"

Jonouchi looked astonished. He never heard Usagi raise her voice before. It actually scared him so he hoped that she doesn't get mad that often. Jonouchi realized Usagi was giving him a thumbs up.

"Wish you the best of luck, Jonouchi!"

Yami smiled at her then at Jonouchi.

"Do your best!"

"Yeah! Thanks, Yugi and Usagi! I knew you two would say that!"

"Yugi...! Usagi...! Jonouchi...!," the rest thought.

"If I run away from here...then from now on... whenever I look at the sky...or the mountains...or the horizon of the sea... whenever I see a good view... I'd remember that I was a coward who ran away!!," Jonouchi stated proudly. "I don't want to be a wimp! Yeah, there's a part of me that's afraid...but if there's another me inside of me, then I **want** him to be someone really cool! Right, Yugi and Usagi!?"

"Jonouchi..." Anzu murmured.

"We get it, dude! Sorry we held you back!," Honda shouted. "Just don't mess this up!"

Jonouchi took out his deck with a face full of pride.

"I accept your challenge, Mai Kujaku!"

She smiled.

 _You can't run away from this duel, Jonouchi. You'll be asking mercy once I finish you off. Your time on this island is running slow...tee hee._


	9. The Rise and Downfall of Harpy Lady

Jonouchi and Mai sat on opposite sides of the table where they were dueling in a battle box located on the plains. Jonouchi had a face ready to panic in any time now like an alarm clock. He was freaking out in his sane mind before the duel even started.

"Go get her, dude!," Honda encouraged.

"Goodluck, Jonouchi!," Anzu shouted pridefully. "Don't you dare lose!"

"Awright! Thanks guys!," he shouted back proudly, lifting a fist with pride. "I'll take your words and turn them into faith! I won't back down!"

Yami and Usagi stood there with hope that Jonouchi will win this duel that will cost him his honor as a duelist. If he fails, he will lose that honor... and Shizuka's eyesight, forever. That simply can't be the outcome of this duel.

"Jonouchi...," they thought.

Mai lifted her right hand and took out a star chip from there.

"You have only one star chip, don't you? Then I'll bet one star chip as well, to keep it equal."

Jonouchi did the same, placing his one star chip on the edge of the table.

"If I lose this star chip... it's all over for me... and Shizuka."

Mai looked down at the table and began informing Jonouchi about the field they were about to battle on.

"Let's see here... the field we'll be battling on is 40% mountains, 40% grasslands, and 20% wasteland (aka desert)!," she explained throughly. "You won't forget, will you?"

Jonouchi's face quickly was stirred up with confusion. This was his first duel on the island so the holographic landscape on the table was something way too advanced for his ordinary mind to comprehend. He easily lost focus.

"Aggh! What's with this field? This is unreal! It's 3-D!," he panicked in his mind.

Yami noticed the worried expression on Jonouchi's plain face, alerting him that Jonouchi wasn't paying attention to what Mai was informing him before they start their duel. Usagi was thinking about the same thing too but didn't seem too worried about the situation because she sort of felt the same way before dueling the triplets. The holographic landscape must've surprised all of the duelists around the island as they began their first duel.

"Calm down, Jonouchi! You have the grasslands to give your monsters an advantage!," Yami thought.

"Oh Jonouchi... I really do hope you'll get hang of this," Usagi thought.

Mai was about to take her cards from the deck until Jonouchi asked her something. She lowered her hand down.

"Mai Kujaku... what's your reason to win here at Duelist Kingdom? For honor? The prize money?"

She smirked.

"Tehe... both! Just imagine how famous I'll get if everyone knows that I'm the winner! I'm going to get so popular all around the world!," Mai squealed excitingly. "And with the prize money, I'm also going to travel all around the world too! No! I'll be staying in Paris for years and buy all the chanel and vuitton I want!"

Jonouchi formed a smile with disappointment.

"Heh... that's a weak reason to win."

Mai's face went angry red and she got got up from her seat and slammed the table with her left hand.

"How dare you! So what are you here for!?," she hissed.

"I'm here... to save a life."

Her face was calmed down and amused. She didn't understand how money would save a person. All what Mai knew that money is the main source of happiness to life. I mean, c'mon! Money can buy you anything you want! At least that's what she thought from her point of view.

"C'mon, Jonouchi! Show that women who's boss!," Anzu inspirted.

"Jonouchi, show her the strength... of your convictions!," Yami thought.

"Duel!," the two duelists announced.

Both drew their first five cards to their hands, placing all the hope they have within them to gain victory. But the most shocking thing happened there. Mai had her eyes closed the while she drew her cards from the deck. Jonouchi was surprised.

Afterwards, Mai placed her five cards faced down on her side of the table.

"Wh-Why aren't you looking at your cards!?," he blurted out.

"Tee hee... I already know what cards I have on my hand..."

"...No way...!"

The group of friends were shocked from outside of the battle box, even Yami.

"Just how on earth does she know what cards she drew!?," Usagi thought, astonished to believe something like that. "Mai didn't even took a peek on them!"

"Unbelievable! Mai can tell what cards were on her hand when their faced down!?," Yami thought.

Mai lowered her hand above a card and gently picked it up without looking at it.

"My turn. For my first card... "Harpy Lady"! She gets a power boost from the mountains!"

Harpy Lady: ATK/1300»1690(Power Boost)

Level: 4

"Urk... how'd she know what card it was!?," Jonouchi thought. "Tsk! Screw that crap! I play "Tiger Axe" He also gets a power boost from the plains!"

Tiger Axe: ATK/1300»1690(Power Boost)

Level: 4

"Attack!," he declared with no warning.

"It's no good, Jonouchi! "Harpy Lady" will easily dodge your attack because it can fly! The attack won't reach!," Yami thought.

"Wait! Don't att-!"

Before Usagi's words could reach into Jonouchi's ears, his monster had slashed its axe towards "Harpy Lady," which had failed to touch the flying beast.

"Ha! Wouldn't expect nothing less from a newbie! Go my "Harpy Lady"! "Scratch Clash!"

Mai's monster quickly flapped its elegant wings to fly to "Tiger Axe" and scratched his eyes out harshly as blood splashed out of them.

"Crap...!"

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/1610

"Tee hee... I have this boy totally distracted by my card technique! Hehehe... what's more is that he's an amateur. I'll crush him in no time!"

The others were getting concerned.

"Dammit, Jonouchi! You'll get her next time! Just try to stay focus!," Honda noted.

"That's right! You still have plenty of life points so you still have a chance," Anzu stated. "You may not look like a duelist from the outside but that won't stop you from fighting for your loved ones!"

Usagi took a glimpse at her group of friends rooting for Jonouchi. She smiled slightly to see that she had very supportive friends. But at the moment, Usagi's smile faded away as it wasn't time to be happy right now. Jonouchi is in trouble and there has to be a way from him to concentrate to end it.

"Jonouchi... hang in there. Don't be fooled by Mai's card trick! There has to be a way for you to win! Your honor as a duelist and your little sister's eyesight are at stake!"

He looked weak after that attack but still continued to play the game.

"Okay! For my next card, I play "Demon Hunter Kojikocy!"

Kojikocy: ATK/1500»1950 DEF/1200»1650

Level: 5

"No, Jonouchi! Mai is going for a combo with her "Harpy Lady"! It's useless to attack with one card, especially against a skilled duelist!," Yami thought cautiously.

"Heh heh... in that case, I play "Electro Whip"! "Harpy Lady's" attack points go up by 300!"

Electro Whip: Equip Magic Card

Effect: A monster equipped with this card increases its attack by 300

Harpy Lady: ATK/1690»1990

"Hahaha! Your demon hunter is slaughtered and your life points go down!," Mai chuckled.

"Tsk... she knew what card it was before she turned it over!," Jonouchi thought worriedly.

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/1120

"Heh heh... by every turn, "Harpy Lady" grows becomes more beautiful... more elegant... and most importantly, more stronger!"

"Oh yeah? Well take this Mai! "Warrior of Gardna!"

"With pleasure! I activate "Cyber Bondage"! My Harpy's attack and defense get even better! Doesn't she simply look fabulous? "Cyber Lighting Whip"! Kill that useless warrior!"

Cyber Bondage: Equip Magic Card

Effect: Equip only to a "Harpy Lady;" that monster gains 500 ATK

Harpy Lady: ATK/1990»2490

"Gulp..."

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/810

"Don't you understand, amateur? You're nothing but prey to me!," Mai announced.

Jonouchi couldn't believe it. His life points kept lowering down by every turn and it's because he didn't play right. Was he even a worthy duelist to compete in this tournament at all? Could Jonouchi even consider himself a duelist? His eyes said it all.

"How? How? Just **how** does she know what cards she's going to use? Does Mai have ESP or something?," Jonouchi wondered, eager to know how the hell she does this.

Usagi was beginning to get worried, as well as Yami. Jonouchi's self-confidence was going down by every monster getting destroyed by Mai overpowered monster.

"Stop believing that trick, Jonouchi! There's no way to win if you don't focus on the duel!," Yami thought.

"Jonouchi... I know you're much stronger than this! Stop letting that card trick get into you!," Usagi thought. "If this goes any further, there will be absolutely no hope in saving Shizuka!"

Jonouchi began to struggle with his pride. His heart pounding faster by every doubtful thought that came across his mind.

 _Thump... thump... ba dum... ba dum_

"I... I can't win! There's no way to beat Mai! I'm just a dumb amateur that has no clue on what he's doing!"

Anzu wasn't going to give up on cheering for him, neither the rest of group.

"C'mon, Jonouchi! Don't give up!," she inspirited.

Mai then changed her attention to Anzu after she thought of something that she said a while ago.

"Hey, you there!," Mai shouted, pointing at Anzu.

Anzu stopped her cheering for a moment.

"What was it you said...? "If you shout, the duelist will hear your feelings..?" And you'll help him win...?," Mai asked curiously while pointing at Jonouchi. "If that's how you believe in Jonouchi then give this wimp all the "feelings" you've got!"

Anzu didn't say a word. Jonouchi was just sitting there hopelessly as the others were feeling sorry for him. She didn't even know what to say to Mai.

Mai smirked at her for not answering.

"Do you see it now? That kind of things are useless," she stated. "And here's some advice, boy... if you're on your way to becoming a true duelist, you can't be playing around with your friends during that journey. Today's friends are tomorrow's enemies. That's what it means to be a true duelist!"

Jonouchi was still slumped in his seat, disappointed for looking so damn weak from across the table.

"Duelists can't trust anyone but themselves! Take that to heart from today's defeat!"

"Ggkk...!"

"Agggh! This is making me mad!," Anzu yelled in frustration.

"Jonouchi, don't listen to anything what Mai says! You should know better!," Usagi shouted.

Still, Jonouchi didn't seem to listen to his friends from inside the battle box. His eyes were dull and full of doubt.

"Grr...! That's it! Usagi and I will make Jonouchi win with one word!," Yami pointed out.

Usagi looked confused but quickly realized what he meant by his face and began gathering up words in her mind. She didn't need Yami to remind her. Usagi somehow knew what to say like if she read his mind or something.

Mai looked surprised.

Yami had his crimson eye's looking at Jonouchi who had finally straighten himself from his seat and moved his attention to his friends.

"This is a riddle, Jonouchi! Answer it!," he noted. "What's something you can show...

"...but you can't see?," Usagi finished off.

He had a surprising expression to what Yami and Usagi just asked.

"Something you can show but you can't see?"

Mai began laughing from her side of the table thinking about how dumb Yugi was to ask Jonouchi something to answer to win this duel. Mai hasn't lost a single life point, has her card technique to distract him, and she has a powerful monster to wipe out any other weaker monster that gets in her way.

"Hahaha! Yes! Please do help this boy with this strategy! He'll surely win, all right! I can't wait to see how this turns out!"

Jonouchi wasn't sure what to say. He remembered the answer to that riddle when he wanted to thank Yugi for saving him and Honda from being beaten up by Tetsu Ushio.

"Friendship," he thought. "That's the answer... but I don't know what good it will do for me to win... sorry... Yugi... Usagi... but I'm too dumb to figure out what you mean... I don't know what you guys are trying to tell me... Shizuka I wish you were here... I wish I could see you..."

"Jonouchi...," the group of friends thought.

"Oh Shizuka... I'm a rotten brother... I can't even fix your eyes...," he thought sadly after remembering what she said in the video tape, "I wanted to see your face... for one last time... big brother," "Crap! The world of blindness... if it's pitch black like this... I can't let you go to that kind of world... Shizuka! ...Huh...?"

After being held in the darkness with his mind, he spotted a glimpse of light sprouting. Something was telling Jonouchi to concentrate and find that answer!

"I smell something... what is this?"

Jonouchi was noticing something strange right after he opened his eyes and started to think about the importance of saving Shizuka.

"I didn't realize at all when my eyes were open... I just thought it was the perfume she was wearing but... I smell a variety of perfumes! They're all distinct! I noticed for the first time when my eyes were closed! But why...?"

"C'mon! It's your turn! I haven't gotten all day!," Mai growled.

"I get it! I know your card trick!," Jonouchi blurted out.

"Nani?!," she said.

"By putting different perfumes on all the cards in advance... you're able to tell which cards are in your hand by smelling them! You can **show** the cards... but can't **see** the smell! Something you can show but can't see!"

Mai was shocked.

"No way! How the hell did he see through my "Aroma-Tactics"!? He's just a newbie!"

"Man! That weirded me out so much that I couldn't focus on the battle! I thought you were into that kind of occult stuff and that freaked the heck out of me! But now I'm onto your game, you faker!"

The group of friends cheered with joy.

"Way to go, Jonouchi!," Anzu shouted happily.

"Well done dude! You got this!," Honda announced.

"Go get her, Jonouchi!," Bakura cheered.

Yami and Usagi smiled warmly at him, knowing that Jonouchi finally had broken out of his doubt and found a way to stay strong no matter how tough the situation gets.

"Thanks, Yugi and Usagi!"

"O-Oh yeah! So what! You've seen right through my trick, big deal! You still couldn't beat me in 100 years!," Mai brooded angrily.

"Heh... it's strange. Just having my friends watching over me... makes me feel like you're not so tough after all. I'll take to up on that 100 years thing!"

"Hmph! Friends... like if I cared!," she thought.

"Here I come! I play "Baby Dragon" in defense mode!"

Baby Dragon: ATK/1200 DEF/700

Level: 4

"That card... that's the one I gave Jonouchi back at the pier before we got here...!," Yami thought.

"Just you watch, Yugi! I won't waste the card you've given me! I'll put it into good use!"

"Hahaha! Very nice card you got there! A card for babies! Very smart of you to play it on defense mode so that you won't take damage when I **kill** it! So instead of **killing** it, I'll play this card! "Kaleidoscope!"

Kaleidoscope: Magic Card

Effect: A monster equipped with this card turns into three duplicates of itself

"Now I have three "Harpy Ladies"! Harpy Lady one... two... and three!"

"Whaa! Now there's more of them!?," Jonouchi thought.

"Oh no! He already had trouble with one "Harpy Lady" and now there's three of them!," Anzu pointed out. "Please be careful!"

"Hang in there, Jonouchi!," Honda shouted.

"Hehe. Since I played "Kaleidoscope" this turn, I can't attack. It's your move," Mai informed.

"Awright! I play "Garoozis"! He gets a 30% power boost from the plains!"

Garoozis: ATK/1800»2240 DEF/1500»1950

"It's still no good! Go my Harpies! Punish and slaughter that monster with your "Electro Whip!"

"Ulp... I don't have a card that can beat those flying beasts!"

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/120

Again, his self-confidence was fading. Even though he figured out Mai's "Aroma-Tactics," how would he defeat her now?

"...I can't win...! My back's against the wall...!"

"Don't give up, Jonouchi! Mai Kujaku's strategy is powering up one "Harpy Lady" with more than 10 magic cards and equipment cards! But because it's that simple, it has a critical weakness!," Yami informed.

"He's right, Jonouchi! Aside from the "Harpy Lady" she's been using, she has no other monster cards in her deck! If "Harpy Lady" dies, Mai's whole strategy falls apart!," Usagi noted. "Use that card... use that card that Yugi gave to you!"

"Something you can show but can't see...!," he thought. "I...I think I just remembered what card it was...! "Time Wizard!"

"C'mon! You've only got one turn to live! Why don't you surrender and hand over your cards to me?," Mai suggested.

Jonouchi took a look at his hand and was disappointed to find out that "Time Wizard" wasn't there yet.

"Shit... I don't have "Time Wizard" in my hand... well... it all depends on this last card I draw...!"

"Jonouchi... trust your cards!," Yami and Usagi thought.

"Here goes! Please be it!"

He quickly drew the final card of the duel, placing all his faith in it. Victory or loss were the two possibilities of the outcome of this duel. This card was going to decide it all.

Jonouchi peeked at the card and had a satisfied smile plastered across his face.

"He drew it!," Usagi announced joyfully. "He drew the card to turn the tables!"

A cheer of delight spread across the group of friends.

"Aw yeah! Here comes "Time Wizard!"

Time Wizard: ATK/500 DEF/400

Effect: When the arrow points to a "win," your opponents monsters grow weak and old, lowering their attack. If the arrow points to a skull, however, your monsters will get destroyed and you take damage equal to the attack of those monsters.

Level: 2

A funny-looking clock mage suddenly appeared on the table next to "Baby Dragon."

"..."Time Wizard"...? What...?," Mai murmured strangely.

"You don't know this card? It can speed up time! It can zoom forward to 100 years and turn "Baby Dragon" into an adult!"

"That's not all what "Time Wizard" does... heh heh...," Yami noted in his mind.

"Okay! Go, "Time Wizard"! "Time Magic!!"

As time began running quickly, "Baby Dragon" was changing its form into a much older yet more powerful dragon than before.

"Baby Dragon" becomes the "Thousand Dragon!," Jonouchi declared.

Thousand Dragon: ATK/2400 DEF/2000

Mai was ticked off.

"Hmph! So what!? That senile dragon is nothing! Go, my Harpies! Kil-huh!?"

Mai was shocked to her "Harpy Ladies" all old and wrinklely. Not only that but their attack points also lowered down.

Harpy Lady: ATK/2490»1300

"Eww! My elegant Harpies are old with grey hair! Just what happened to them!?"

"Heh... poor Mai Kujaku. A century had passed by and it seems like your "Harpy Ladies" lost their beauty and strength throughout those years. It may seem cruel but you're now powerless against Jonouchi," Yami thought sinisterly.

"Whoa... I'm surprised too...! I didn't even know that card can do that... but whatever! Go, "Thousand Dragon"!! "Thousand Nose Breath!!"

All of the Harpies were vaporized in air. Not a single trace of them was left.

"N-Nooo! I lost!," Mai cried.

Mai Kujaku: LP/0

Winner: Jonouchi Katsuya

"Yayy! Jonouchi won!," Anzu cheered with delight.

"Yes! He did it! It's a miracle!," Honda exclaimed.

Jonouchi turned to Yami and Usagi who were smiling and giving him a thumbs up for his victory.

"Thanks, Yugi and Usagi!"

"Anything for a friend, Jonouchi. We'll be there to help and support you and as well as the rest of us," Usagi confirmed.

 _Friends support each other no matter what_.

He got from his seat and headed towards the exit but first had something to say to Mai before he left. Something that'll keep her thinking for the rest of the days they'll spent on the island.

"Mai Kujaku... I may not be a "true" duelist but let me tell you this... there's something that doesn't change even after 100 years..."

"...What...?"

"It's... something you can show... but you can't see!"

 _Someone you can show... but you can't see... what could possibly be the **true** answer to this riddle? You'll soon find out..._


	10. Feelings for Loved Yet Mystery Ones

***Afternoon***

Four hours had passed since the tournament began. Duelists all around the island were fighting for the ultimate title of "King of Duelists" and the grand prize money of 3,000,000¥! Duels were getting serious by that time and Yami, Usagi, and Jonouchi had already won their first duels. Of course, nearly the whole group of friends were astonished when Jonouchi actually achieved victory against Mai Kujaku.

Yami: 3 Star Chips!

Usagi: 5 Star Chips!

Jonouchi: 2 Star Chips!

They all were walking around the outside of the forest for a while to see who'll be their next challenger. Jonouchi couldn't stop glaring at his glove after winning a star chip. A step closer to saving Shizuka!

"Heh heh... hee hee hee... hee hee... hoo hoo!," Jonouchi giggled happily, but strangely as he walked with Yami and Usagi.

The others were giving him weird looks from behind them.

"Geez... Jonouchi has been staring and giggling at his duel glove for the last 30 minutes already," Honda pointed out, continuing to give weird looks.

"I wouldn't blame him, Honda! I mean, can you believe that he won against that girl! That's really surprising!," Bakura added.

"I agree. Jonouchi might be capable of entering the castle after all," Usagi noted. "Looks like we'll have to find out soon!"

Yami walked along besides Usagi, not moving his lips for nearly 40 minutes. Usagi was eager to talk to him but Yami didn't look like he was up for a chat at that moment so she left him alone. Until that mysterious voice came back to him, and... it sounded... like it has been lingering for him.

 _Yami... do you hear my voice...? Please... If you do... answer me... I'm right next to you..._

Somehow, it sounded similar to the ones from his visions he had back at the game shop and pier. The voice had anxiousness flowing through this time. Yami turned his head to see nothing but only Usagi there with a questioning look.

"Yami... is something wrong?"

"Oh... no, I just thought you were talking to me."

"Talking? That's weird. I haven't exchanged a single line of dialogue with you until now. You just seemed a bit... disturbed... so I thought it would be best if I left you alone for a while."

"I see. I'm sorry for worrying you. What shall we talk about then?"

Usagi thought of something that kept her thinking for quite some time now.

"Yami... isn't it strange for Pegasus to have five finalists to enter the castle? Why would he let a odd number of duelists get a chance to go to the finals? If they are going to battle each other, who'll battle the fifth duelist?," she asked.

Yami chuckled softly.

"You're a curious one, alright. You seem like you still have plenty of questions to ask about this tournament after doing some observations. That's one thing I like about you, Usagi," he replied, "I don't see how you wouldn't call yourself smart."

She blushed. Her face turned a bit red but it wasn't too noticeable.

"O-Oh, w-well I do research about ancient history like Egypt b-but I'm not a genius when it comes to math," Usagi stuttered.

"Math? I don't see what's wrong with that. Everyone has a subject they struggle with and others they're better at so you're not the only one."

Jonouchi noticed the embarrassed face Usagi had and bended over a bit to get a closer look.

"Hm? Hey, Usako, what's up with that face you got there? You look red-"

"Huh!? It's nothing...!"

"Really? Oh, I see what's going on here... you're falling in love with-"

Before he said anything else, Anzu kicked his calf muscle so he would stop embarrassing Usagi.

"Ouch! What the heck was that for, Anzu!?"

She crossed her arms.

"Hmph. You really do need to get education with behavior. It's rude to assume something that is none of your business."

"Okay okay, I get it... but I was just curious, that's all."

Jonouchi looked gloomy after thinking about Yami and Usagi being a pair. You can say that his chances of being with her are really slim now. Poor Jou.

Anzu, on the other hand, had a rather curious expression but also a little sad. What if Yami and Usagi was a pair? No, that can't be possible. It's been less than two days since they met at the pier and they've been very supportive of each other in duels. Anzu had feelings for Yami ever since she found out that he was the one who rescued her from that criminal back at the fast food restaurant she worked at for money. The "cool" Yugi. Either way, Anzu will still be cheering for Yami, Usagi, and Jonouchi but that thought just kept her thinking for the rest of the day.

"But... there's no way that Yami could have fallen for Usagi... right?," Anzu thought. "I mean... they're only friends."

 _Grumble... gurgle... grgl..._ *

"Aw man. I'm getting hungry. Do we have anything to eat guys?," Jonouchi asked as he kept patting his empty stomach.

"Hey, now that you mention it... we ate all the snacks at the pier!," Honda pointed out. "Also we didn't bring any food here."

"Dammit! Isn't there a restaurant around here at least?"

"Oh Jonouchi... this is an island. There wouldn't be a possibility of a single restaurant to be located here, especially since Pegasus owns it. Besides, even if there was one, we wouldn't even have enough money to buy a small drink," Anzu noted.

"That's no good... the game lasts for two days... we can't go without food or water for 48 hours!," Yami exclaimed.

"This is your fault, Anzu! Why didn't you think ahead?!," said Honda angrily.

"Yeah! You're a girl! You're supposed to make lunch!," Jonouchi huffed.

"Warning! Sexist comment alert! Did you guys forgot that Usagi is here too?," Anzu questioned.

Usagi cocked her head to one side and she looked confused.

"Oh-I mean, Usako would had definitely make lunch if she knew us before going to the pier! She is a girl who'll always think ahead-"

Anzu just slapped the back of Jonouchi's head.

"You two really are clueless. Do you think a guy like Pegasus would feed us? How cheap! That long-haired foreigner...!"

"Oh well! If it comes down to it, we'll use this survival book I brought to see what kind of plants and mushrooms we can eat!," Honda stated, reading through the book and flipping through the pages while the rest gave him disgusting looks.

"N-No way! I'm not eating mushrooms!," Jonouchi blurted out. *Sniff* *Sniff* "Hm? What's that? Something smells good... and it's coming from the ocean! Let's go guys!"

"What smell...?"

"Just like when he fought Mai Kujaku... his sense of smell is like a dog's," said Honda.

The group walked behind Jonouchi who kept dashing through the thin green grass, leading them to a coast where the ocean is seen from below with its waves going back and forth. From that view, there was raw fishes being cooked in a campfire. The gang hid behind some big rocks where it wasn't too far from the cooked fishes. Jonouchi and Honda were drooling over them.

"Look at that! I found food!," he announced.

"H-He's right!," Anzu thought.

"Nobody's here! Now's our chance!"

"Jonouchi, you're not gonna...! Stop! That's not yours!"

"Au contraire, Anzu! The law of this island is, whoever steals the star chips wins! So stealing food's gotta be okay! It's part of "The Game of Life!"

"I'm never playing a game with you..."

"I'm with Jonouchi!," Honda declared.

"You too!?"

"C'mon, Anzu! It's better to eat something tasty and cooked than wild plants," Usagi noted.

"But-oh alright then! Just looking at mushrooms makes me lose my appetite," she answered.

"Oh boy...," Yami thought.

The whole gang had sat down around the campfire and each of them were holding a cooked fish on a stick.

"Man, that looks good!," Jonouchi murmured.

"It smells great!," Honda stated as he opened his mouth, ready to take a bite off of the well-cooked fish.

"Let's dig in!"

Away from the hungry group of friends, someone had climbed up the edge of the coast, all soaked and wet. He was shirtless and only wore a pair of long jean shorts that were cutted from above his knees. He had a harpoon grasped on tightly with a fish on it.

"What the-?!?! Why... you... you... you jerks! Stop eating my fish!"

Just then, a huge wave took down the angry teenage fisherman. Jonouchi looked to his left to see where that irritating voice came from but there was nothing there.

"Hm...? Did you guys hear something?"

"Hear? I don't think so," said Bakura.

The teenager climbed back up even more irritated than before.

"Grr... damn waves... all right! Put it down! Lowlifes! Eating someone else's fish!," he shouted, threatening Jonouchi with his harpoon pointed at him.

"Huh...?"

"You're not getting out of here alive!"

"Wait! We haven't eaten it yet!"

"Then give it back!"

Yami then noticed that the teenage fisherman was wearing a duel glove on his right hand with star chips on it just like him, Usagi, and Jonouchi.

"What... he has star chips!," Yami thought.

"What are you, anyway? You're not a duelist!"

"But if I told you if I was?!"

"No way! You're a castaway, right?"

"Who you calling "castaway"? I'm Ryota Kajiki! Duelist of the sea!"

Yami and Usagi looked surprised along with the rest.

"Ryota Kajiki... at first glance, he doesn't look like the kind of guy who would play card games... but I guess you may never know," Usagi thought. "I should better do something to stop him and Jonouchi from arguing."

She got up from her place and gave a small smile to Ryota.

"Please forgive us, Kajiki. We don't have anything to feed on and we're all quite hungry at the moment but we didn't know what else to eat. We're deeply sorry for taking your fish."

He was dazzled by her beautiful appearance. Not only Usagi was gorgeous with her pretty and innocent face but her personality made her look like an angel.

Ryota quickly walked up to her and grabbed both of her soft hands with his.

"Please don't apologise! A beautiful young lady like you can't go for 48 straight hours without anything to eat! Please, eat as you may!"

Jonouchi and Honda were getting upset.

"H-How dare he act so kind to her!? Not only that but he's holding her hands too! I was supposed to do that!," they thought angrily.

Usagi blushed.

"O-Oh, thank you, Kajiki-wait, you seem to have something on your hair."

He felt something moving on top of his spikey hair and immediately took it off to find out it was a small pink octopus.

"Hmph! Small fry!," Ryota yelled as he threw the octopus to the ocean.

"Noo! We could've eaten it...," Jonouchi sobbed.

"Enough! So you're telling me that you guys are duelists too, eh?"

Then that's when he finally spotted the one and only, Yugi Muto.

"It's him... that guy... Yugi! Hehe, I might've just made a big catch! Not to mention that here that stands in front of me is the master female duelist from Juuban, Usagi Tsukino! Double catch!," Ryota thought excitedly.

He turned away from Usagi and sat closely to the campfire.

"Now then... these fish are just about done! Come, Usagi! Eat as much as you need and you may invite your female friend with you too."

Honda and Jonouchi stood there with drooling faces.

"And I guess you guys can eat as well..."

"Really? You mean it? Thanks fish guy!," said Jonouchi as he and Honda began biting down the cooked fish quickly.

"Heh heh!"

After a while went by, the whole group of friends were stuffed of cooked fish and were curious about what Ryota would do if he won the grand prize money.

"So, Kajiki... did you enter the tournament for the prize money too?," Jonouchi asked.

"You bet! I'm gonna spend the prize money on a boat! Then I'll be able to go fish again!," he exclaimed happily. "I hear the prize money is huge! I'm gonna get the latest sonar equipped boat and get a big catch everyday!"

"A boat, huh? That's sounds like a cool way to live!"

"Yes. I've been watching over the ocean ever since the day I was born. The sea is like a person to me... I can tell when it's laughing and when it's crying... but the ocean works both ways! It watches us too!"

"Very interesting, Kajiki!," Bakura added. "What else do you have to share?"

"Hm. A couple of years ago I was fishing with my father, like usual... the ocean was in a good mood... but then... its mood changed..."

Yami was beginning to feel more curious about Ryota's backstory.

"The sea rose and swallowed our boat! My dad and I were saved by a passing ship... we were lucky... but our boat was gone! We couldn't go fishing any more!," Ryota explained with a angered tone. "It could be a coincidence... but not too long after our boat sank... there was an oil spill not far from there! **Those idiots angered the sea! They** did it...! With their fucking pollution...!"

The gang felt sorry for him.

"Well anyway... forget me! Sorry to bore you!"

"Don't be sorry, Kajiki. I know how hard it must be to lose something's that carried many cherished memories...," Usagi noted, "but there's other ways to keep your memories from disappearing like how you still fish without a boat. That joy and nostalgia of catching is a perfect way to express those memories filled with love."

He smiled and nodded, understanding what she meant from her kind words.

"Thank you, Usagi. I'll make sure to keep that in mind."

The gang got up from the dried ground and began walking away from the coast.

"Well we better get going! Thanks for the food!," Jonouchi stated as he took a hold on Usagi's hand.

"Yeah? You're going...?

When they were from a fair distance away from Ryota Kajiki, he grabbed his harpoon and had a small sinister smile across his face.

"Hold on a sec! Heh heh... I don't have time for a small fry... but **you're** not getting away!"

Ryota threw his harpoon rapidly and it almost stroke Yami's foot down to the ground.

"Yugi! Halt!"

Yami was taken by surprise. The whole group of friends were shocked.

"Hehe! Yugi... I'm not dumb enough to let a fish free after eating my bait! More so if it's a big catch like you!!," Ryota declared.

"What the...!? What do you mean "bait?," Jonouchi asked in confusion.

"Heh! This place is my turf! So I left bait for hungry duelists like you! This way you guys come to me-on the beach where the fight is in my favor!"

"You're sayin' we're fish?! Why you--! Whew... at least he's not going to eat us..."

"I guess you can say that but I honestly wouldn't call the beautiful Usagi a fish at all," he noted.

"B-Beautiful... Usagi?! Is he hitting on her now?!," Jonouchi thought. "Grr! Kajiki is acting so charming to her! That's my role, well, it was..."

Yami and Bakura seemed a bit bothered after Usagi was complemented by someone.

"Yugi! Let's duel! You're the catch I'm talking about!," he announced then switched his attention to the pretty blonde. "Oh, but I do have something to propose if you lose. If you lose, Usagi Tsukino will **have** to go on a date with me. Let that be a fair proposal for the fish you've eaten."

Usagi blushed fiercely.

"D-Date...?! W-With Kajiki...?!," she thought nervously.

She never been to a date before so it frightened her to think about it, even after being asked out multiple times by male duelists when they challenged her. Usagi couldn't answer them properly so she shook her head as an answer.

"Okay! Now he's really hitting on her!," Jonouchi and Honda thought disgruntled.

"Hmph. Fine then! I accept your challenge, Ryota Kajiki!," Yami announced pridefully with a smile.

He then glanced over at Usagi with a smile.

"Usagi, are you going to be okay with this?"

She shook herself out from her thoughts and nerves.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine with it. Make sure you do your best!"

"Very well then! We'll be battling over there in that duel box, Yugi!," Ryota remarked, pointing at a small cliff where the box was located at.

They both enter and took a seat at opposite sides of the table. They took out their decks and placed it down on the table.

"Heh heh! My side of the field is "Umi," the ocean! Your side is "Wasteland"! Do you understand?"

"Couldn't understand better!

Ryota smiled sinisterly.

"Oh yeah! In a fight on my terrain, Yugi, you're as good as already in my net! Usagi will be with me by my side soon enough, blessing me with her beauty and kindness," he thought ominously.

Both duelists took off two star chips from their dueling gloves.

"Go Yugi!," Anzu cheered.

"Go beat that sea dude!," Jonouchi inspirited.

"Remember the promise we made, Yugi! We came here for the **honors of the duelist king!** Do whatever it takes to win!," Usagi added courageously.

Yami nodded.

"Don't about that, Usagi. What awaits for us beyond those doors of the castle is something important to all of us. I won't give up and we'll keep fighting to walk on the path of victory!"

"Duel!" they declared at once.

 _Yami... I've missed hearing that courageous and confident voice of yours... it seems like you haven't changed... for millenniums..._

"I play the "Devil Kraken!," Ryota remarked, placing the monster card on the field.

Devil Kraken: ATK/1200 DEF/1400

Level: 5

"In that case, I'll play "Imp!," Yami stated loudly.

Imp: ATK/1300 DEF/1000

Level: 5

"Go my "Imp"! Attack!"

"Heh heh...!!"

Yami looked down at the table, expecting his monster to have destroyed "Devil Kraken" since it's attack points were lower but to his surprise, the monster didn't even show up at all.

"Wait-where's Kajiki's monster?," said Jonouchi as he pressed his face closer to the outside of the duel box to get a better look, "I swear I just saw him play it but it's not there!"

"You're right, Jonouchi! Kajiki played his monster on the field in attack mode but the hologram doesn't show up! Where could it be?," Usagi wondered.

"Tsk... if I can't see the monsters, how can I fight?," Yami thought, his crimson eyes searching for "Devil Kraken."

"Now! Like I said, "Devil Kraken" gets a power-up when it's battling on the sea! Go!!!," Ryota commanded.

Suddenly, large and frightening tentacles flew up from the sea, taking everyone by surprise. It wrapped around Yami's monster and took it down into the depths of the ocean.

"Impossible! It was hiding the whole time!?"

"Hahaha!! There goes your "Imp" deep below the ocean with no air to breathe! In other words, it's as good as dead!"

"Gg... it went back into the water!"

Yugi Muto: LP/1740

"Hehe... this is part of my field power source! The "Sea Stealth Attack"! When I'm finished with you, you'll have a proper fear and respect of the sea!," Kajiki declared.

"Sea Stealth Attack"... how am I going to fight monsters that I can't see?!"

The group of friends were beginning to get cautious of this duel.

"Did you guys see that? That squid just splashed out of nowhere and drowned Yugi's monster!," Anzu pointed out.

"Yugi can't attack if he can't see his opponent's monsters," Honda noted.

"Rats... this fish guy isn't just some wannabe fisherman... he really has some good dueling skills!," Jonouchi thought.

Ryota smiled sinisterly.

"This is just the beginning, Yugi! You'll soon face the true horror of the sea!," he thought. "C'mon, Yugi! Bring out your next monster!"

"As long as I can't see what I'm fighting... it's best to play my "Feral Imp" in defense for now," Yami noted in his mind, placing his monster on the field horizontally, "Heh heh... but on my next turn I'll teach you a lesson!"

Feral Imp: ATK/1300 DEF/1400

Level: 5

Ryota knew something was up with Yugi after noticing his slight smile. He wasn't gonna fall for his trick that easily like Haga did.

"Heh! I know what you're trying to do, Yugi!," he thought.

Yami already knew that Ryota was going to something next that'll stop him from proceeding with his plan.

"For my next card, I'll go with this! The "Jellyfish"! What they call "The Moon of the Sea"! And of course, it gains power boost from the sea!"

Jellyfish: ATK/1200 DEF/1500

Level: 5

"Hmm...! The "Jellyfish" isn't hiding under the water like the kraken but then... why does that worry me?," Yami wondered.

"C'mon! The "Jellyfish" isn't scared! Serve it however you like! Boil it! Grill it!," Ryota laughed.

"Aww yeah~that sounds tasty...!," Jonouchi and Honda thought with drooling faces.

"All you guys think of is food, isn't it?," Anzu questioned.

"Well, if you think about it, it actually does sound good," added Usagi, "but now isn't the best time to think about food. We got to cheer for Yugi!"

"You're right, Usagi. Let's do our best to make him win!," Bakura exclaimed.

Yami took a magic card out of his hand and placed it onto the table.

"Very well, Kajiki! You asked for it! I play "Horn of the Unicorn" and switch my "Feral Imp" into attack mode!"

Feral Imp: ATK/1200»1900 DEF/1500»2200

Horn of the Unicorn: Equip Magic Card

Effect: A monster equipped with this card increases its ATK and DEF by 700 points

"Nice planning, Yugi!" Usagi shouted.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?," Honda asked.

"Since Kajiki's monsters hide beneath the water, Yugi can't attack them, right? But do to the fact that they're **water** monsters, they are weak against electricity! With the magic he equipped to his monster, he's going to attack the sea itself!"

"Whoa! Good idea!," said Jonouchi.

"Those underwater monsters are in real trouble if the **whole** ocean is electrocuted!," Honda exclaimed.

"Go my gremlin! Attack the sea with your "Electric Shock!," Yami declared.

 _ZZTT! ZZTT! YYNN! WOBBLE! WOBBLE!*_

He was shocked to see that Kajiki's monster wasn't destroyed but rather absorbing the power!

"What?! The "Jellyfish" is absorbing the electricity?!"

"Wahaha! When the "Jellyfish" is on the field, it acts like a lighting rod, negating the water monster's greatest weakness! But that's not all! The electricity helps it grow in both attack and defense!," Ryota informed.

"Ggk...!"

"Unbelievable! Not even electricity works!," said Usagi astonishingly.

"Man... what's up with this monster?!," Jonouchi thought.

"Hahaha! Now it's my turn! "Devil Kraken"! Take down "Feral Imp" into the depths of the ocean!," Ryota commanded. "Squid Legs Submission Hold!'

The intimidating kraken launched its tentacles around Yami's monster and drowned it harshly just like the previous one.

Yugi Muto: LP/1480

"Haha! No can beat me at the sea!," he shouted proudly. "Don't worry about our date, Usagi. I'll bring you to the most beautiful beach you have ever seen once after this tournament is over! You'll be free to view the ocean as much as you want with me by your side."

Usagi blushed.

"That sounds way too generous...!," she thought. "The date may not sound like a bad idea but I want Yami to win for the sake of his grandpa!"

Yami looked upset.

"He's strong... there's no holes in his attack or defense so how will I defeat him? Isn't there any possible way to shatter his great and powerful fortress of water...?!"

The group kept on cheering.

"Don't forget what you're fighting for, Yugi! I know you'll come up with something to turn this duel around!," Jonouchi inspirited.

Yami nodded but some thoughts were holding him back.

"Why... do I feel like I'm dueling not only for my friends but for... Usagi. Am I... really eager to think of something to win so that she won't go out with Kajiki? No... that can't be... we three are here for the **honors of the duelist king!** I'm here to win back Sugoruko's soul from Pegasus! They're my friends and we shall prevail this duel together!"

 _Yes... you will... my love... yes you will..._


	11. Unexpected Events

The duel between Yami and Ryota was just beginning but it looks like it's full of surprises. Ryota's giant water fortress was something to fear, along with his sea monsters hiding within the ocean, making it impossible to know where they will attack from. Not to mention their power boost that allow these monsters gain advantages in the duel. This was his strategy. Usagi was surprised to see that field powers were this useful during duels other than just rising the attack points.

"Urgh... at this rate my strategy will fall back as far as I can!," Yami thought. "I'll have to do something in order to defend myself for the meantime."

He drew a card from his deck.

"Alright! I first play "Silver Fang" onto the field..."

Silver Fang: ATK/1200 DEF/800

Level: 5

"...then I will turn him "savage" with "Mystical Moon!"

Mystical Moon: Equip Magic Card

Effect: A monster equipped with this card gains 200 ATK and DEF

Silver Fang: ATK/1200»1560 DEF/800»1040

 _HOWLLL! GWOO!!*_

Ryota simply laughed at his move.

"Hahaha! Are you seriously going to waste your life with that card? Ha! You'll never take down the power of the sea!"

The group friends weren't losing faith in Yami. They knew he should have some stragedy planned out soon.

"Ay, Usako, what could Yugi do in a situation like this?," Jonouchi asked.

"Hm. If it doesn't seem possible to attack your opponent, then it's best to have some defense on your side of the field. I know for sure Yugi won't have a problem doing that but I'm concerned about Kajiki's monster," she explained, viewing the table of holographic monsters carefully. "I'm not sure how Yugi will be able to lower his opponent's life points if he can't touch them. This is a problem."

"Yeah, but we'll still be cheering him on! I know he will get through this!"

"Of course he will! We'll do everything we can to support our friends!," Anzu added.

Usagi gave a warm smile to her cheerful friends and focused on Yami's duel.

"They're right. Yami will win as long as we believe in him."

 ***Castle***

As duels were taking place all over the island, the creator of Duel Monsters began observing each one them from the balcony of stone to see if everything was going well. Pegasus then took a walk down the hall of the castle to the dining room to get a better look at the duels. He had one of his advisors, Croquet, along with him to inform information about the tournament.

"Well, Croquet, how is my fabulous tournament going?," Pegasus asked in a positive tone.

"More than amusing, Mr. Pegasus. The holographic duel landscape is working perfectly in each battle box from what I observed. It's quite fascinating I must say," he replied.

"Excellent! This calls for a celebration! I'll enjoy myself with comic books and cartoons of "Funny Bunny," my personal favorite! But first we'll try to focus on what's important."

"Yes sir. Duelists are steps away from entering the castle then they'll lose their winning strike on their way there too. It's hard to determine which duelists will eventually make it to the finals."

"Heh heh... we'll see soon enough..."

Pegasus and Croquet came across the dining room as they stop talking. Croquet opened the door for both of them to enter. The dining room was incredibly large but it was a castle afterall so there must've been other rooms much larger than this one. There was wide thin windows from across the room where the sunlight came through to brighten up the quite room. A fair solid wooden table stood in the middle of the room, large in width. A linen tablecloth covered the table and it had a royal design on the bottom. Pegasus took a seat at the right end of the table and turned on his enormous TV that hanged up from the ceiling to observe the duels around the island much better.

"Now then, let's see what Yugi-boy is up to," Pegasus muttered under his breath as he brushed his long silver-white hair with his hand.

Pegasus pressed on his remote controller and it quickly switched to the battle box where Yugi is dueling Ryota. His brown eyes immediately noticed Usagi from the outside of the box, cheering for him with his friends.

"Well, isn't that sweet. Lady Tsukino finally made friends after all these years. Her beauty sure did grew out a lot and now she really does look like my beautiful lover, Cecelia. I can already say that Yugi-boy must've fallen for her by now."

Pegasus smiled happily and turned over to Croquet.

"Croquet, may you please check how many star chips Yugi-boy and Lady Tsukino currently hold? I just can't seem to stop my curiosity."

"Of course, Mr. Pegasus."

The advisor grabbed the remote control and switched the screen into a chart of duelists numbers in star chips and from who they won it from.

Yugi Muto: 3 Star Chips

Won Against: Insector Haga/Out of the Tournament

Usagi Tsukino: 5 Star Chips

Won Against: The Ancient Triplets/In the Tournament

"Oh my! Lady Tsukino has five star chips already! Bravo to her!," Pegasus cheered. "And as for Yugi-boy, I must congratulate him for winning against Insector Haga, the Japanese Champion! Bravo to him too!"

Croquet switched back to the dueling screen where Ryota was looking at Usagi with a loving face.

"Hm? Croquet, may you turn up the volume, please?," Pegasus asked.

The advisor nodded and turned up the volume to hear what they were saying.

 ***Television***

"Yugi, are you fighting to win the prize of this tournament or are you fighting for Usagi?," Ryota wondered.

Yami suddenly had a plain face. Why would that be a question he had to answer all of the sudden? What's more, he didn't really had a response yet.

"Grr..."

"...Well?"

Usagi was getting worried for Yami. She believed that Ryota asked him that question to distract Yami from playing the game. She wasn't sure what to do to help but only to cheer him.

"Hey, fish guy! What's up with dat question all of the sudden!, Jonouchi barked. "There's a duel going on and you seriously need to know something like that now?!"

Ryota smirked and gave Jonouchi an unpleasant stare.

"What? This should be a simple question to answer. Yugi shouldn't have any trouble with it, isn't that right?"

"Grr! Why you-!"

"Jonouchi! That's enough!," Yami snapped. "I don't need you to get into this. I'll just have to think of a answer while we duel."

"But Yug-"

"I know, Jonouchi. I will try my best to concentrate on the duel and on the question. Don't worry about me."

Usagi looked quite surprised to hear something like that. How would Yami be able to focus on two different things at the same time?

"Oh Yami... that's not a question that has to be answered if it's not important...," she thought.

 _Don't worry about me, Usagi. I'll be fine as long as you are with me..._

She gasped a little. That voice... it came back to her, in a soft yet confident tone. Anzu heard her from the back and thought something was troubling Usagi.

"Usagi? What's wrong? Did something came up to your mind?," she asked curiously.

Usagi looked at Anzu and shook her head then gave a small smile.

"Oh, n-no, it was nothing."

"Are you sure? You seemed... shocked-"

"No-really I'm fine, Anzu. I was just thinking of... well-oh nevermind. I kinda forgot."

"Oh, okay. If something's bothering you, you can always talk about it with me. I mean, we're friends after all."

"Yes, we are. Thank you, Anzu."

*

Pegasus couldn't stop his smile from spreading all around his face. Just looking at the duel was something so enjoyable for him. Not only had Usagi made wonderful friends but also had so many boys who were appreciating her beauty.

"How romantic! Two boys fighting for the love of Lady Tsukino! My, this sure is quite an interesting duel. Croquet, fetch me some of my favorite Gorgonzola cheese and red wine! Oh! And my "Funny Bunny" comic book too! I certainly can't miss something like this!"

"As you desire, Mr. Pegasus."

As Croquet left the dining room, Pegasus continued to watch the duel between Yugi and Ryota. It was like he was enjoying watching one of his favorite cartoons. Yes, it may sound strange for a grown up to watch children cartoons but that's okay for anyone. Pegasus simply loves them and then read his favorite childhood comics. I guess that's how he shows his cherished memories just like Ryota.

"Oh Yugi-boy, I wonder, how will you get through this duel...? I guess Lady Tsukino will have to help you out with this one."

Not far from the dining room, there was a small hidden room that was very quite and guarded by one of Pegasus's bodyguards. The room was cold and there was a opening large enough for someone to crawl out but it was high up. Inside the small room, was a kid about the age eleven or so. He was tying table cloth and clothes left in the old cabinet by the door together to make a rope.

"I won't staying here any longer, Pegasus! I won't let you take over Kaiba Corp! Once my big brother is awoken from his coma, he'll send you to hell after what you did!," the kid thought angrily.

He threw the rope of cloth out of the opening and tied the other end he was holding somewhere else. The kid then began climbing down the castle slowly, grasping on the rope tightly and hoping that it will not untie itself. Unfortunately, it began untying itself when he was half way down to ground. His feet weren't close to touching the surface.

"Oh no! Please don't-!"

Before anything else could come out of his mouth, the cloth unraveled and fell apart. He let out a yell that was heard by the bodyguard who was guarding the locked room.

"What the-! The hell was that?!," said the bodyguard, grabbing the keys to the door and unlocking it quickly.

The boy was no longer there. All that was left were a few pieces of cloth left behind from the rope.

"That brat! He escaped! I can't believe he actually succeeded this time after so many failed attempts!"

The bodyguard ran towards the dining room to alert Pegasus about their hostage escaping. Now, why would they keep a kid as hostage, you ask? Well, it won't be long till you see yourself.

The boy thankfully fell into some bushes and didn't end up breaking anything of his body. If the bushes weren't there, well, it might've been a painful fall.

"Phew! That was a close one. I have to go look for him as soon as possible before that strict bodyguard finds me. I need to find Yugi!"

Back to the duel, Yami had nearly all of his side of the field covered by the sea. Ryota's plan worked perfectly so now the majority of the field power was now his. All that was left of Yami's field was his "Stone Soldier" in defense mode.

Stone Soldier: ATK/1300 DEF/2000

Level: 3

"Hahaha! This is the end for you, Yugi! There's nothing else you can do to stop my unbeatable sea creatures! You're surrounded and my monsters are advancing towards your "Stone Soldier!" By the end of my next turn, you're done for!," Ryota announced proudly.

Usagi glanced at Yami, expecting to see a sharp look on his face but instead, there was a smile. She knew he had already thought of something to finally end this duel in his victory.

"Hehe..."

"Hm. So you think laughing is the best option? Ha! Don't laugh when you have nothing to laugh about!," Ryota pointed out.

"Of course I do. Kajiki... I've been waiting for this moment!," Yami declared.

"What!? You can't be serious! You're trapped! My monsters are all over the field and you have nothing except that "Stone Soldier!"

"I switch my "Stone Soldier" into attack mode!"

"Are you seriously that dumb!? My sea creatures are hidden! How do you think you'll be able to attack them if you can't see them at all!"

"Heh heh... who said I would be attacking your monsters?"

"Huh...!?"

"I'm going to attack... the moon! The card I played myself!!"

The group of friend were astonished. Just what was Yami thinking to attack his own card? Is that even possible?

"Yami... you can do it...!," Usagi thought happily.

At once, the "Stone Soldier" swung its stone sword to the moon, so hard that the moon shattered into pieces and fell down like a shooting star. The tides of the ocean were going backwards, revealing all of Ryota's monsters on the field. They looked very dried up.

"Crap! How could the tide be pulling away?"

"Heh... the gravitation of "Mystical Moon" rises the water level. Just how the real moon affects the ocean! My moon created high tides and improved your leviathans tidal wave power! Now that the moon has been shattered, half of the power has been reduced! Your sea creatures are helpless without the support of water!"

"Wh-what?! H-He used his own card to take over my terrain?! He got me...!"

"Out of the water, your sea creatures are nothing but small fry! Now I shall finish you with these cards!"

Curse of Dragon: ATK/2000 DEF/1500

Level: 5

Burning Land: Magic Card

Effect: Destroy all field magic cards.

"Accursed Dragon"! "Flames of Hell"! Die, monsters, die!"

Ryota let out a cry.

"Wagggh! I lose!!"

Ryota Kajiki: LP/0

Winner: Yugi Muto

"Yeah!! Yugi won!!," the gang cheered with joy.

"Heck yeah! I'm smelling some barbecued squid!," said Honda.

Ryota gave Yami a big smile even after he was beaten.

"Man! You sure are a big fish!," Ryota stated.

"You're not bad yourself either!," Yami responded. "It did took me a while to figure out a way to beat you!"

Usagi then entered the duel box to join their conversation.

"You two were amazing! Your tactics and strategies were really good during this duel! I'm impressed!," she pointed out with a beaming smile.

Yami suddenly thought of something at that moment. The question that Ryota asked him to answer.

"Kajiki... remember that question you asked me earlier? I believe I have an answer to it."

Ryota fixed his eyes on his.

"Niether. I'm here to win something far more valuable and important to me than a title or money. And as for Usagi, she's not the only one who I'm fighting for. I'm fighting with my friends to reach to the castle and open the gates where will lead us to our success. Among them is what I'm really fighting for, Kajiki!"

"I see... then let's see who will get there first! I may be down to my last star chip but that won't stop me from winning! I still won't give up on my dream to buy my boat and fish again among the ocean. May the best duelist win!"

Both duelists shook each other's hands and exchanged confident smiles. They were now friendly rivals.

After that, Ryota came up to Usagi and held her hands with his. She immediately blushed.

"Usagi, you truly have an important person who'll look after you. Yugi's the right guy for you."

"O-Oh...! Well... we're just friends... at the moment..."

He let out a laugh.

"Don't worry, my beautiful Usagi! If you two are somehow still friends at some point, I might have a chance with you!"

She blushed so much that her face began turning red. Ryota was too positive.

"Though, I don't think that will be happening soon. But I'll be happy to take you anywhere you desire! You're someone who'll always be in heart."

He gave a wink to Yami.

"Right Yugi?," he asked.

"Huh? About what-?"

"N-Nothing, Yugi! You don't have to answer!," she scampered shyly. "It's nothing important!"

Yami stood there with confusion while Ryota was chuckling at Usagi. Sure, she wasn't ready to have a date but that won't stop Ryota from going out with her someday.

All three of them stepped out if the battle box and waved each other goodbye. Yugi and his friends moved on to the next battle. Who will battle next?

"So long guys! Good luck to all of you! Especially to you, Usagi!," Ryota shouted.

"As well as for you, Kajiki!," she answered back. "Let's try to duel each other sometime!"

As they were a fair distance away from him, Jonouchi couldn't help it but admire Ryota's pride. He was willing to live up his dreams even though he was down to his last star chip.

"What a guy... Ryota Kajiki! There's something about him that you just can't hate!," Jonouchi pointed out.

"You're right, Jonouchi. It looks like all duelists on this island have their own hopes and dreams...," Anzu added.

"And so do we!," Yugi, Usagi, and Jonouchi declared.

It has been five hours into dueling and the gang were roaming around the island not for long. It seemed peaceful and duelists were still battling to the path of victory.

"Hey, Usagi, what kind of deck do you control?," Bakura asked. "I just thought of it since you never had the chance to tell us back at the pier."

She looked at his direction and took out her deck from her small pink backpack.

"My deck is based around "Sailor Scouts" monster and magic cards. Like what I said back at the pier, I've cherished this deck for five years but it was given to me by Pegasus. I... admired him so much but... I can't believe that he's been doing awful things behind my back."

"C'mon, Usako! I don't want you to start thinking about stuff like that. We only wanted to know what kind of cards you play with," said Honda.

"Oh, my bad. I didn't mean to start talking about that. Here. You guys can have a look at my cards."

Usagi handed over her deck to them and they were amused by the cards as soon as they looked at them. They've never seen those cards before. Only a few were recognizable.

"Woww! These are the cutest magic cards I've ever see! Pegasus sure did spend a lot of time to design them for you," said Anzu, holding an equip magic card called, "Swords of the Hidden Moon."

"Ay, Usako! This is probably the cutest monster card I have ever laid eyes on. I don't even know if it should be considered a monster," Jonouchi stated, showing off one of the "Sailor Scout" monsters known as, "Sailor Jupiter."

"Haha! Jonouchi, are falling in love with a card?," Honda asked.

"What! N-No way! I was admiring it, that's all!"

"Jou! You do realize you can't date a trading card, right?"

"Shut up, Honda! You wouldn't know any better because you don't even have a girlfriend!"

"Neither do you!"

Yami was viewing the cards carefully, ignoring Jonouchi's and Honda's argument and one caught his eye.

"Unbelievable! I wasn't aware that there was a female version the "Black Magician!"

The whole gang gathered around Yami to see what he meant. It was true indeed. The monster card he was holding had similar features to "Black Magician."

"Oh, that's "Black Magician Girl" you're holding right now. She's my favorite monster out of any of the others from my deck. Pegasus said that I might have a strong bond with it when he gave it to me. He was right. I did have a close connection to "Black Magician Girl," like how Yami has a close connection to his "Black Magician," Usagi noted.

Jonouchi took the card from Yami and glanced at it then looked at Usagi.

"Hey, Usako, I ain't lying to you but you and "Black Magician Girl" look a lot like twins."

"They look like twins in beauty! Usagi is as pretty as her favorite monster card!," Bakura complimented.

"Th-Thank you, Bakura. You sure like complimenting people."

"Probably only to you, Usagi!"

Their conversation stopped when someone was scooped into Saruwatari's arms. They were kicking and demanding to be freed. Yami and the others gave Usagi's cards back to her gently and then came over to see what was the problem.

"S-Somebody! H-Help me-!! Let go of me-!!," a duelist demanded as he kicked and struggled to get out.

"That's enough! Stay quiet, you kid! I can see your duel glove is all empty! Too bad you lost all your star chips because you need to get out of this island now!," commanded Saruwatari sternly.

"Argh! Th-That's not true! They were stolen by some wierd kid! My cards were stolen too!"

"Stop yapping! I don't care if you lost your star chips and cards by some kid! You must leave the island at once! Those are the rules of this tournament so just give up already!"

Yami and Jonouchi knew those were one of Pegasus's bodyguards. He was big and extremely mean but that's pretty much how all the bodyguards were. Don't expect them to say anything in a nice tone with their rude looks.

Jonouchi couldn't stand watching the poor duelist being embraced by the tough bodyguard. He decided to have a talk with him.

"Hey! Let him go! Didn't you hear him! He said that his star chips were stolen! That isn't the same as losing a duel!"

"Silence! Duelists are forbidden to interfere-unless you want to get disqualified!"

Jonouchi kept his mouth shut for a bit then came close to the struggling duelist.

"Hey! I'll get your star chips and cards for ya! Just tell me how this kid looks like!"

"Really? Thank you! I'm not sure how his face looked like since he was wearing a bandana. He wanted to duel me out of nowhere so I accepted. As soon as I placed down my deck and star chips, he took them and ran off!"

"Which way did he go?"

"Th-That way...!"

"Hey! Man in black! I'm off to look for his star chips and cards so don't kick him out yet!"

"Eh... I'll think about it...," the bodyguard replied.

Jonouchi turned his hands into fists and looked pissed.

"Star chips are like a duelist's life! I wouldn't forgive anyone who steal star chips from others who worked hard to earn them! Once I find that thief, I'll give him a good beating!," he thought.

Jonouchi leaned to the duelist with a poker face.

"Oh, by the way, if I catch that kid, as payment, I'll be taking half of your star chips!"

"What?"

"Okay! Follow me everybody! Let's go find that thief!," he announced proudly.

"Hmph. He's only doing this to get star chips easier, isn't he?," Anzu wondered.

"Yep. Pretty much," Honda replied. "He's a terrible altruist."

As the gang were off, Saruwatari immediately contacted Pegasus with his walkie-talkie to tell him about their escaped hostage.

"Mr. Pegasus, we've tracked down the boy in block "D". Repeat! Send all personnel to block "D!," he commanded.

"Yes sir! We will capture him and bring him back to the castle at once!," a voice answered from the walkie-talkie.

The duelist tried to slowly get out of Saruwatari's arms when he was distracted but didn't quite make it out on time.

"Ha! You're not going anywhere, loser! No star chips! Off the island you go!!"

"Aggh...!"

 ***Castle***

The dining room was quiet and still with Pegasus reading his favorite comic book and eating well-aged Gorgonzola cheese along with fine red wine. He truly was a rich guy. Croquet was there to inform him about the tournament and their hostage.

"Hahaha! That silly rabbit has tricked the police dog again! How could he fall for a joke that easily? Oh, this is so funny!," he laughed happily as he took a sip of his wine.

"Mr. Pegasus, it seems like one of your personnel have located that thief somewhere in block "D". Shall I follow them as well?," Croquet questioned from behind.

"No no, I believe they'll be fine. Besides, who'll be here with me to read "Funny Bunny?" I don't want to be left alone."

The advisor nodded.

"As you wish sir. They will bring the boy back here soon enough."

Pegasus continued reading his comic happily, thinking about how Yugi and Usagi are doing with their duels. He couldn't wait to meet them at the castle.

"It won't be long till you arrive here, Yugi-boy. I have special surprise waiting to be opened by you. It all depends if my plan goes well with Lady Tsukino... she's been helping me without even noticing. Let's see what awaits for the three of us..."


	12. The Thief

***Late Afternoon 2:12pm***

Yami and his friends were still in search of the thief to retrieve the star chips and cards he had stolen. They tried their best but still, no sight of the kid. Jonouchi was getting very impatient and was eager to find him. Well, he only wanted to find the kid to receive star chips for himself, without the need of dueling anyone. My, what genius plan to think of but that wouldn't really show how Jonouchi worked hard to go to the finals. Just taking some star chips like that. A true hero wouldn't ask anything in return when they do something good for someone else.

"Sorry guys but I still haven't spotted that thief anywhere," Usagi noted, looking over at some bushes to see if she can find something. "I just hope that the bodyguard hasn't took that poor duelist to the boat yet."

"It's already been a while and did you see the look on his face? That rude bodyguard didn't seem like one who would wait for something to happen. Maybe it's best if we give up," said Anzu.

"Yeah, we've already searched nearly the whole forest and there's absolutely nothing," Bakura added. "Looks like you've lost your opportunity to get more star chips, Jonouchi."

"Aaarrggh! This is no good! If I don't get my hand on that kid those star chips will be lost! I **have** to find him!," Jonouchi thought as he clenched his fist.

Honda shook his head in disappointment.

"Man, he's terrible at this "way of the duelist" thing," Honda thought.

As they kept searching for a minute or so, Yami heard an annoying yet familiar voice from across the ocean. It didn't sound quite pleasant at all.

He turned his head to see the boat of duelists leaving the island from a short cliff. Most of them had a sad expression on their faces and the owner of the annoying voice kept pushing some of them to one side of the sturdy boat.

"Hey guys! Look over there! There's a boat of duelists leaving the island!," Yami pointed out.

The rest of the group stopped their search and came over to him to see what he had spotted.

"Listen, all of you! In case of you don't know, I'm the Champion of Japan so give me more space and stay out of my sight!," Haga shouted, shoving a duelist away from him in the boat.

"If only if my star chips weren't stolen...," the poor duelist murmured.

Usagi had found the duelist that Saruwatari caught on the boat. Anzu was right about his patience.

"Oh no! That poor duelist is there too! I can't believe that rude bodyguard lied to us about keeping him in the tournament!," said Usagi with a bit anger in her voice.

"Shit! That man in black broke his promise! Now I can't get the star chips I was suppose to earn!," Jonouchi ranted.

Yami was now concerned about the consequences of the tournament. If you fail to prove yourself to be a great duelist, then your dreams and hopes of becoming one will vanish completely.

"Duelists who lose all of their star chips are forced to leave the island! So that's the fate of those who lost the game...," he thought.

"Man, that sucks," Honda noted. "You'll just have to earn your star chips by battling for them, Jonouchi."

"Hm... we better not end up joining those duelists. We have a purpose to win this tournament and nothing will change that," said Usagi.

Away from the group of friends, someone was keeping an eye on Yami from the bushes of the forest. It was the kid that stole the star chips and cards from that duelist. They were hidden and only their eyes were visible.

"There he is...!," he thought.

Then at once, the thief leaped out of the bushes and stood straight up, glaring at Yami like if he had something he wanted.

"Yugi!," the kid shouted.

The gang turned to see who it was that was calling Yugi. Usagi gasped a little as she was taken by surprise. Yami didn't looked surprised as much as her and looked back at the kid with his bright crimson eyes.

"What the-?! A bandana!?," Jonouchi blurted out.

"Hold on, Jonouchi... I believe he's after me!"

Usagi looked confused.

"This must be the thief that the duelist was talking about. But...why would he be after Yami? Does he know him?"

Yami gave a serious look to the kid in front of him.

"Kid! You want to do duel with me?," he asked.

The kid nodded in response.

"Alright! Let's do that in the battle box over there! Come with me!"

He followed silently, as the rest walked behind them. They weren't exactly sure about what was happening right now. Yami just accepted a duel from someone anonymous.

As they were in the battle box, they both took a seat from opposite sides of the table. The kid proceeded taking out his deck and slowly placing it down on the near edge of the table. Yami waited patiently for his opponent to get ready.

"Yugi... he agreed to fight him just like that...," Jonouchi murmured.

"That's strange... do you think that kid is the thief with the stolen cards and star chips?," Anzu asked.

"Possibly. From what I heard from the duelist, he also described the thief that he was wearing a bandana. Why do you think he showed up out of nowhere?"

Back to the duel, it was time to see how many star chips each one will bet.

"How many star chips do you bet?," Yami asked.

The thief raised up his hand and showed five fingers. Why didn't he simply speak instead?

"All my star chips, eh? I'm fine with that!"

Yami placed his star chip and his opponent stared at them for a second. The kid then grabbed some of his star chips from his pocket and placed them on the table.

 ** _*Klink!*_**

"Hmph! He doesn't have a duel glove to store his star chips! It's safe to say that he's the thief we have been searching for! Then... would that mean that he wasn't one of the duelists to be chosen to participate in the tournament? Did this kid really came all the way here just to duel me? Why would he go that far? Could he be...?"

Everyone else outside of the battle box were still confused of the situation.

"This is weird! Yugi must've known that kid is the thief... then why did he accepted the duel?," Jonouchi wondered.

"Maybe... he already knows who that boy is...," Anzu answered.

Usagi wasn't sure what all of this was about. She was getting concerned with what Anzu was saying. Who exactly was that boy?

"Duel!," they proclaimed at once.

"I play this card!," the boy announced in his mind.

Man-Eating Plant: ATK/800 DEF/600

Level: 5

"I'll counter it with this! "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!," Yami declared, as a blue dragon appeared on the table, "Go, my dragon! Attack from the sky! Your plant is burned into ashes!"

Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress: ATK/1400 DEF/1200

Level: 5

"Gulp..."

???: LP/1400

"O-Oh yeah? Well take this! Go, "Crocodilus!"

Crocodilus: ATK/1100 DEF:1200

Level: 5

"There's no way you can beat my monsters with a card like that! Come forth, "Celtic Guardian!"

Celtics Guardian: ATK/1400 DEF/1200

Level: 5

 ** _*Slash!*_**

"Oh no...!"

???: LP/1100

"Man, this boy sucks at this game! He's definitely no match for Yugi!," Jonouchi stated.

"A real duelist would already know how to play their cards properly and wisely in a game of Duel Monsters but this kid didn't seem to know how to do either of those things. That means he must be the thief!," said Usagi.

"Why don't you give up now? You don't have a chance to win with those stolen cards!," Yami shouted across the table, exposing the boy completely.

The boy knew that he was no longer safe and quickly took on action. He got up from his seat and grabbed the stolen star chips and Yami's star chips as well and tried to run out towards the exit of the battle box. Yami quickly got up as well and grabbed the boy's wrist tightly on time before it was too late. Usagi was amused by his fast reflexes.

"Aaggh! Let go of me-!," he finally said.

"I knew it! You're-!"

The boy's bandana and dark beanie hat fell of when he struggled to escape. His identity was revealed to everybody that was outside of the box. His face was filled with fright.

"Mokuba!," said Yami in a surprised tone.

"Rrr...!"

"Wh-What the-that kid is Mokuba!," Jonouchi noted.

"Why did Mokuba try to steal Yugi's star chips!?," Anzu wondered.

Usagi had heard of the name before and soon realized who this boy was.

"Mokuba...? Wait-you mean Kaiba's little brother?," she asked.

"Yeah, that's him alright. You probably never met him before, have you?," Honda asked.

"No... but I've heard his name for quite a while now. Being the little brother of the Duel Monsters Champion must be something to be honored of, I have to say."

"We've known Mokuba for a while now too but, eh, not exactly by greeting each other nicely. It's a long story and it may seem a bit creepy to tell."

Mokuba kept struggling to be freed from Yami's grip but he simply stared at him intensely.

"Why is Mokuba... on this island?"

After a few minutes passed by, they've found themselves outside of the battle box and sitting down on the grass. Some of the gang stood up instead and came closer to Mokuba to hear what was his reason for coming to Duelist Kingdom. Usagi and Bakura leaned on a nearby tree to take a break from the long walk.

Jonouchi immediately confronted Mokuba with a goofy but stern look on his face.

"Mokuba, you weasel! How dare you be taking other people's star chips like that! You even stole from Yugi! Give'em back! You got'em on your hands!"

"Grrr! No! I won't give them back!"

"Why you little-!"

Anzu stopped the argument before it got worse and then came up to Mokuba. She could tell from his eyes there was the reason for him to be here. A sad reason.

"Mokuba... are you still mad at Yugi?"

He grunted until he finally calmed himself down. There was no use of getting angry in this situation.

"Of course I am! Yugi's the one who made my brother the way he is...!"

"You mean he's still..."

"Yes! Kaiba is in a coma! He's in a twenty-four hour care in the mansion with the most professional doctors in the world! But even they can't do anything to help him... they said he might end up looking like that for the rest of his life. Such a pale and emotionless face..."

"Wait-Kaiba is in a coma?," Usagi asked randomly.

That's when Mokuba finally noticed that she was there. He had a questioning look on his face. He obviously didn't know who she was.

"Yes... but who are you?," Mokuba responded dully.

Usagi straightened herself from leaning on the tree and began walking towards him. She slowly took a seat beside Mokuba on the grass and looked up at the beautiful afternoon sky.

"I'm Usagi Tsukino. A friendly duelist here to compete in the tournament to win something far more valuable than a title and money. Of course, you've never met me before with Yugi and his friends but I met him back at the pier. I... was kind of lonely and shy around the crowd of duelists until he bumped into me by accident. It's nice to meet you."

She gave her hand out for a shake and Mokuba shook it, somehow feeling a bit better.

"It's nice to meet you, Usagi. Hey, so are you Yugi's girlfriend or something?"

Usagi blushed instantly and shook her head. Anzu didn't like the sound of that and she was bothered in the inside.

"G-Girlfriend?! What's with that question all of the sudden?!," she steamed in her thoughts.

"O-Of course not! We're just good friends... that's all."

"Oh, I see. Sorry for asking that..."

Usagi sighed softly and looked down at Mokuba.

"So... about your brother... how is Yugi responsible for his condition?"

He buried his face in his arms and seemed too sad to talk about it but he still spoke.

"Not so long ago, back at the last round of the Death-T Games, Kaiba was dueling Yugi to regain his title as the Champion of Duel Monsters after people somehow knew that he lost against Yugi in their first duel. Somewhere in the end, Kaiba was so close to defeating him with all three of his "Blue-Eyes White Dragons" till Yugi managed to counter his whole strategy by drawing the last piece of "Exodia." After the intense battle had ended, I don't know what or how but Yugi did something to him that left him braindead. Soon after that, doctors said that he was in a coma."

Usagi felt sympathy for both Mokuba and Kaiba. Mokuba must've been suffering from not being able to look at his brother the same way as before. How could Yami do something this awful if he's so kind to his friends and Usagi?

"Mokuba... what are you trying to tell us?"

He was shocked. How on Earth did Usagi knew that he was going to warn them about something? Did she read his mind? Or did Usagi actually looked through his sorrow and alertness in his eyes as he was speaking? Mokuba kept those thoughts to himself and decided to tell them the truth behind this tournament.

He stood up and helped Usagi get up as well without saying a word to her.

"Grrr! Is Mokuba really after her too?!," Jonouchi and Honda thought angrily.

"Hmph... don't get the wrong idea. I didn't steal those star chips to get revenge on you, Yugi!"

Yami's face suddenly turned slightly astonished.

"You guys think you're so smart. You don't even know why Pegasus held up tournament for, do you?"

Everyone was dumbfounded after realizing that Mokuba wasn't here to get revenge on Yami for putting Kaiba into a coma. Then, what is the real reason for this tournament?

"I'll tell you why, Yugi! Pegasus wants to beat you-and gain control of Kaiba Corporation!"

Everybody was now shook with astonishment, even Yami.

"Nani?! Pegasus wants Kaiba Corp?!," Yami thought surprisingly.

"But why? Why is Pegasus after Kaiba Corporation? What is he planning to do?," Usagi questioned

"How would beating Yugi help Pegasus gain control of Kaiba Corporation?," Bakura asked.

"Yeah! Mokuba, what good will it do for him if he takes over! He's already rich!," Jonouchi added.

Mokuba waited till it was quite so that he could speak.

"Pegasus created Duel Monsters and established himself as a young genius game designer... but that wasn't enough for him so Pegasus's Company (Industrial Illusions) teamed up with Kaiba Corp to create the highly virtual battle simulation box! But... the day when Kaiba lost to Yugi in the final round of the Death-T Games... the president of Kaiba Corp was in a coma and made the stock plummeted! The management of the corporation just kept getting worse and worse! That's when Pegasus knew it was his chance to take over. He planned this whole tournament to get his hands on Kaiba Corp and with the help of the Big Five, he's got everything ready. All he needs to do is beat Yugi."

Usagi couldn't believe it. Not only did Pegasus stole Yugi's grandpa soul but also is trying to take over Kaiba Corporation while Kaiba is in a coma! She now believed that he was an awful person. His smile is hiding many secrets and lies from people. Usagi felt ashamed for using her deck that he made for her but she needed it in order to duel. Still, she had this feeling that Pegasus actually wasn't the one who created these cards. If it wasn't him, then who?

"Hmph. So Pegasus is really looking forward to dueling me, eh? Heh heh...," Yami chuckled softly.

"This isn't a time for laughing, Yugi! Not even you can beat him!," Mokuba replied in a angry tone. "No... nobody in the world can beat him. It's impossible! I figured if I could steal all of Yugi's star chips, he could be disqualified **before** he fought Pegasus! He wouldn't have lost a real match... so the agreement of taking over Kaiba Corp with the Big Five wouldn't count!"

"Hm. So that's why you came to the island," Yami assumed.

"No! The Big Five were the ones who brought me here... because I have the key! Hehehe!"

"Huh? A key for what?," Honda wondered.

"That key is used to open the safe where my big brother keeps his documents. Two nights ago, the Big Five barged into my house to steal them to complete the deal with Pegasus! And you know what I did? I swallowed the key right in front of their faces!"

"Uh, so that's why they brought you here... but if the key is in your stomach then...," Anzu paused, as she couldn't stop thinking about how gross this was.

"Yep! Everytime I went to the bathroom, they would go rushing in after I've finished to see if it had came out! Haw hee hee!"

Everyone had a disgusted look on their faces. It seemed rather quite weird to hear it.

"He must've had some shitty problems," Jonouchi thought, giggling.

"I will do everything I can to protect Kaiba Corp from Pegasus! Even if they tear open my guts!"

"Mokuba...!," said Yami.

"Look Yugi! My brother did create the Death-T Games to get revenge on you but his real dream was to build amusement parks all over the world for poor children to have fun!"

Yami had an understanding expression about Mokuba's situation. Though, he may not look sorry for him, he knew he had to do something to help Mokuba.

Usagi walked up to Mokuba and looked down at him with a small smile.

"Mokuba... even though Yugi and I have been friends for a short time, I know enough that he has a good heart, just like you. You're willing to risk anything to prevent Pegasus from gaining power over Kaiba Corp and I admire your courage. I believe in you. Now, can you believe in Yugi? Please give back his star chips...!"

Mokuba's anger was erased from his face. Usagi really did meant what she said to him and if he ever wants Kaiba Corporation to be safe, he needs to believe in Yugi.

"I promise you, Mokuba! I will defeat Pegasus!," Yami declared confidently.

He wasn't lying. Mokuba could tell from his eyes that he wouldn't break his promise.

"Yugi...!"

Mokuba made up his mind and finally believed in Yugi to win against Pegasus.

"Ok, Yugi! I trust you!"

He grabbed the star chips from his pocket and showed them to Yugi. Before Mokuba dropped the star chips on Yugi's hand, the man in black, Saruwatari, caught them violating a rule of Duelist Kingdom.

"Stop right there! You're violating a rule of this tournament! You are prohibited from exchanging star chips outside of a battle box! Any more movements and you'll be disqualified!"

Mokuba was shook with fear. He didn't wanted to go back to Pegasus's castle again after how awful they treated him.

"Heh heh... I've finally found you, Mokuba. After such a long goose chase!"

Saruwatari grabbed on his wrist tightly and lifted him from the ground.

"I'll now confiscate all the star chips you've stolen!"

"Oww! That hurts!," Mokuba yelled.

"C'mon, give them to me!"

Jonouchi joined in to stop the bodyguard from taking away Yami's star chips.

"Hey! You can't do that! Two of those star chips belong to Yugi!," he shouted.

"How many times do I have to make myself clear? You can only earn star chips by winning a duel!"

"Then I challenge you to a duel!," Yami announced.

The mean bodyguard smirked at him.

"Heh heh, sorry! I don't play games! But you insist, I have a special opponent for you! Right over there!"

Saruwatari pointed at the battle box right behind them. The opponent was inside, waiting for the duel to begin. Yami was shook. How on Earth did they enter there without anyone noticing them?

"Th-That's... Kaiba!?!"

"Big brother! Or something that looks like him!," Mokuba pointed out.

"Not quite! Just take a closer look guys!," noted Bakura.

As they cleared their view, the opponent wasn't really Kaiba but a scary and shady ventriloquist controlling a puppet that looked like him! Let's just hope that the puppet isn't cursed.

" _Hee hee hee... please, come in... come in!,_ the Kaiba puppet spoke by the ventriloquist.

"Th-That's... so creepy... but very disrespectful! How horrible to have a puppet representing Kaiba!," Usagi shouted.

 _"Hush hush! Don't be so rude! Hee hee! Y-Y-Yugi... y-you'll p-p-pay for what you did to me! Hehehe!"_

"You damn scums! Making fun of one of the greatest duelists I've ever met... you'll regret doing this! This pisses me off!," Yami growled with rage, giving a death stare to the ventriloquist.

"Go in, Yugi! That's your opponent!," said Saruwatari.

Mokuba began swinging his arms and legs in frustration. They were mocking Kaiba in front of him and he wouldn't allow them to say another word.

"Why, you stupid jerks! That lousy puppet isn't my big brother! My brother is in the hospital! Yugi, show them no mercy!"

Yami got into the battle box and took a seat. Just looking at that puppet made him sick. The creepy puppet waved at him, trying to look nice but that obviously wouldn't work out in this situation.

 _"Kee kee kee! T-T-Today's the day... that I k-k-kill you, Y-Y-Yugi!,"_ the puppet threatened.

"Rrr!"

"Hehe... your opponent isn't an ordinary duelist who participates in the tournament... he's one of the first assassins to be brought here by Industrial Illusions to kill you, Yugi!," Saruwatari informed. "The doll will disturb you... enrage you... till to the point you start getting crazy. You'll be so distracted by then that you won't even know how to play the game anymore! Then Kaiba Corp will belong to Pegasus!"

The bodyguard then looked down at Mokuba to get his attention.

"By the way, Mokuba, don't you recognize me?"

"Huh? Recognize? Wait-no way! You're... you're Saruwatari! My bodyguard from Kaiba Corporation!"

"Hehe... I'm glad you still remember me! But even back then, I was working with Industrial Illusions!"

"Nani?!"

"Heh heh... while I was babysitting your ass, I reported all of Kaiba Corp confidential information to Pegasus! But that's not all I stole... just you watch! Hehehe...!"

Mokuba stopped struggling to escape. His face was in disbelief after what Saruwatari said to him. Was it really possible to save Kaiba Corporation from Pegasus?

The bodyguard turned his attention over to Usagi who seemed not frightened, but rather worried for the situation.

"Hey princess! You're that master female duelist from Juuban who goes by the name, Usagi Tsukino, correct?"

She hesitated to answer but replied with a nod.

"I'll warn you about something... Pegasus's assassins aren't only targeting Yugi but they're after you too."

Yami overheard them and had a worried expression.

"Saruwatari! I'm supposed to be the one who Pegasus is after! There's no need to get Usagi involved in this!," he stated clearly.

"Heh... sorry Yugi but I gotta disagree. Pegasus wants his most "lovable" duelist to face some challenges in this tournament as well. He believed that Usagi is capable of taking down the assassins that were hired to kill her. Hopefully she won't die after battling the first one."

The gang were shocked. Even Usagi had her own assassins targeting her too. What was Pegasus thinking?!

"Kill her?! What the hell is wrong with you guys! I can't believe you bastards are trying to kill our friends!," Jonouchi raged.

"Yeah! Just because you guys want to take over some corporation? You guys are going way too far!," Honda complained.

The spirit of the Millennium Ring took over Bakura for a second and sneered.

"Tsk...! I wouldn't mine having Yami dead by then but Usagi? I have already made plans that'll require her presence and possibly Yami as well. Till then, I'm the only one who can end him! Not Pegasus!," he stated in his mind.

The innocent Bakura was back and felt a bit strange but decide to ignore what happened. Somehow, ignoring it was making him feel less comfortable, even if he didn't know anything about it.

The man in black chuckled a little at Jonouchi's and Honda's effort in protecting Usagi. He thought of them as her own knights in shining armor.

"Heh... he said so himself. Pegasus wants to see if Usagi had improved not just her skills at dueling, but also her courage and confidence throughout this tournament. She's being tested. Failing will lead Usagi to her own death."

Before Jonouchi, Yami, or anyone else said anything to defend Usagi, she finally said something to the bodyguard.

"Okay... if that's how Pegasus wants it to be, then be it. I'll take on this test I know I will survive. I have faith in myself and on my friends so I have everything I need in order to pass this test. There's no way I'll ever escape a challenge."

Yami glanced at her with a proud face. She flustered a bit but smiled at him.

"Usagi... I believe in you," he thought. "Together, we'll prove Pegasus that we can take on any challenges, no matter if it stakes our lives, we won't give up."

Saruwatari had a big grin on his unpleasant face.

"Very well then, do as you please. Don't start squirming in fear once you meet your assassins. That'll only prove how much of a coward you are."

Usagi nodded. She may have looked confident on the outside but in the inside, she was filled with fear. Death was waiting for both her and Yami in this tournament. It's a matter of time till they meet the rest of the assassins.

"I'm sure Yami will have no problem with this one... but... I'm scared to face them. Will I be able to to make it to the finals?"

 _Will I survive?_


	13. Overcoming the Fear of Death

Approaching to a dark and mysterious ventriloquist for a duel was something really odd to happen in Duelist Kingdom. But don't let that fool you. A number of assassins have been appointed to kill Yami and Usagi throughout the tournament, meaning that they'll be facing them soon after this one. Killing Yami in order to complete the promise with the Big Five and giving Kaiba Corp over to Pegasus. After that, what's the use of working hard to get to the finals if Pegasus just wanted to get his hands on Kaiba Corporation? He'll probably end the tournament and dismiss everyone from the island. In addition, Pegasus ordered a couple of assassins to kill Usagi as well but not for the same reason. He wants to see if she had improved her lack in courage and confidence throughout the tournament but not only by defeating duelists but with assassins too. If Usagi fails to show herself worthy, the only thing she'll be facing is death. Challenges that stakes lives are something to always be careful of when you accept. Once you do, there's no turning back.

" _Y-Y-Yugi, I bet three star chips!_ ," the puppet announced.

"Fine! I'll stake all of my star chips!," Yami declared, taking off his star chips one by one.

Yami and the ventriloquist began their duel with the Kaiba puppet going first.

 _"I s-s-summon... "B-Battle Ox!"_

Battle Ox: ATK/1700 DEF/1000

Level: 5

"Those are actually one of the cards that Kaiba used against me back at our duel in the Death-T Games...!," Yami thought. He wasn't going to let that minotaur distract him. "I'll fight you with this! "Black Magician!" Attack his monster!"

Black Magician: ATK/2500 DEF/2100

Level: 7

The magician let out a dark electrical blast out from the green orb on his purple wand towards the minotaur.

" _ **WAAGH! HE G-G-GOT ME!!!** ," _the puppet cried.

Ventriloquist: LP/1700

"Battle Ox" was defeated and the opponent's life points went down. Usagi expected Yami to be relieved to had attacked him but he looked like he was stressing out. All because of that damn Kaiba puppet.

"Rrr... just how much longer will this puppet joke around! He's getting on my fucking nerves...!"

The group of friends observing the duel were getting concerned for Yami. He seemed... weakened... somehow. I guess this is why Jonouchi never liked playing with dolls as a child.

"Yugi's looking stressed out! But he's winning!," Jonouchi stated.

"It's all because of that puppet!," Anzu pointed out. "That ventriloquist is excluding a strange pressure!"

"No way! It's just a dumb puppet! How can he be causing Yugi to stress out so much-?," Honda paused for a moment to see Usagi looking directly at the puppet's deck. Eyes of alertness.

"Wait guys... I think... I feel like... something's about to happen... that'll turn the tables around...," Usagi murmured quietly.

They turned to see her worried face for Yami. The pressure was getting to her as well for some reason. This made Usagi feel something strange on the puppet's deck.

"What do you mean, Usagi? Do you think that puppet has something up his sleeve?," Bakura questioned.

"Yes... I can feel a powerful presence...*gasp* wait! I think I know what it is! Yugi, be careful!"

The Kaiba puppet continued his turn and drew a card from his deck. He giggled sinisterly when he looked down at his card.

 _"Hehehe! V-V-Very good instincts you g-got there, milady!_ _F-For my next card, I play the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Y-Y-Yugi! Here's the dragon who came for r-r-revenge... from the depths of hell!"_

Blue-Eyes White Dragon: ATK/3000 DEF/2500

Level: 8

Yami felt suspension growing in his crimson eyes. This couldn't be true. He was facing with "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" again!

"I can't believe it! I'm going to have to battle against that dragon all over again?!," he thought tensely. "How on Earth was Usagi able to feel the card's power?"

Mokuba was as surprised as Yami.

"N-No way! That my big brother's card!"

"Hehehe! That's right! I stole Kaiba's deck!," Saruwatari confessed, having a very uncomfortable grin on his rude face. He placed an arm over Mokuba's neck and it made it hard to let him speak. "Tsk... but at the same time... how was Lady Tsukino able to predict that card!?"

"B-Be careful, Yugi! Industrial Illusion sent a spy to steal Kaiba's deck! That ventriloquist will use it to defeat you! Don't lose!"

The bodyguard didn't pay attention to what Mokuba was saying, ignoring his loud voice crawling into his ears. Saruwatari looked rather speechless after Usagi somehow knew that the ventriloquist was going to play the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Feeling that satisfaction of Yugi suffering from that puppet's dark energy made him wonder how Usagi could've possibly felt it too.

"Hmph. If that girl can feel what cards the ventriloquist draws, Yugi will know what his next moves are! I have to get her away from here...!"

Saruwatari turned on his walkie-talkie to speak with one of Pegasus's other bodyguards.

"Hey, this is Saruwatari speaking right now."

Another voice spoke back to him. At least it didn't sound as rough and dull as his but still, they worked with Pegasus.

"Yeah, I heard ya. What is it now? Is this about Yugi?"

"Yugi is already busy with his assassin so no need to worry about him for now. The real problem is with the master female duelist, Usagi Tsukino."

"Uh huh, okay. So about her?"

"This obviously will sound strange to you but Lady Tsukino somehow was able to predict what card the ventriloquist was going to play."

"What? That's not possible. But since you sound that serious, I would like to hear what you will do about it."

"Heh heh... I'm talking to you to send her an assassin to keep her busy. That way, Yugi won't have anyone to warn him."

"Nice thinking. Too bad that the assassin is on its way to her. You were too late and they have thought of going to Usagi before getting told by any of us. He certainly has no patience."

"Heh... this is probably the only time I wouldn't mind being late at something."

"Agreed. So, how will you drag Usagi out of Yugi's sight?"

"Well, it'll be easy."

As the group of friends had their full attention on the duel, Saruwatari slowly walked behind Usagi and took her small pink bag that she had left on the grass. Luckily, she was already carrying her cards with her but all of her cherished belongings were inside there. Another thing to be worried about was the one star chip Usagi had left in there just in case if anyone else came up to her and steal her star chips. The bodyguard laughed quietly and walked inside the forest area with the bag. Mokuba was about to yell to alert Usagi but his mouth was covered.

"You better keep your mouth shut you brat!," he hissed.

Moments later, they were gone. Nobody noticed at all since they were focusing on Yami's duel. Usagi didn't even realize her pink bag was missing.

Back to the duel, the Kaiba puppet kept telling Yami, in a shallow voice, how he was getting revenge for what he had done to him. Yami was getting sick and tired of hearing that damn puppet. Pressure was growing in him.

"What is he saying? Is part of Kaiba's soul in the puppet...? His undying grudge... his grasp for vengeance... Kaiba... will you be my arch rival forever?!," Yami thought curiously yet worriedly. "Still, I'm thinking about Usagi's abilities to read through cards. Somehow, almost like Pegasus! The question is... how? For sure she doesn't own a Millennium Item nor does she has ESP. If she had ESP, she would've told me what cards my previous opponents had. But why only now?"

"Yugi! You gotta calm down! That ventriloquist is just throwing words at ya! Don't listen to him!," Jonouchi stated.

Yami didn't felt reassured by Jonouchi's words. Those things that were being said by the puppet were crawling deep into his ear, up to his brain, and buring inside his mind like a virus.

 _"L-L-Let's play some more! I-I-I won't be attacking with "Blue-Eyes White Dragon"... by skipping my attack... I can play this card facedown instead."_

The puppet drew a card from his deck and placed it down on the Magic Cards zone. What could the card be? A Magic or Trap card?

 _" **KEE KEE KEE... soon your monsters will have nowhere to run!"**_

Yami felt even more pressured than before. Facedown cards were definitely something to be aware of during duels. Especially if they are in the Magic Cards zone. One card can turn the tables around, either to victory or loss.

"Hey, Usako! You felt the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon's" presence last time, right? Can you maybe try to feel what that facedown card could be?," Jonouchi asked.

"Hm... I... well, sort of. All I can feel is some kind of... trap card."

Anzu gave a strange look at Usagi for a split second but then shifted into a curious expression.

"Usagi, how are you able to see what cards the ventriloquist is going to play?," Anzu wondered. "That was pretty abnormal, you know."

"Yeah, do you have ESP like Mai Kujaku? Not that I'm saying that you're a fake, of course," Honda added.

Usagi shook her head. She didn't really even know how she did it herself.

"N-No... I just kinda felt the presence lurking out of the card. It sounds weird but really, that's how I would describe it."

"You're right. It does sound weird. It can't believe something that odd since I almost have no idea how it works. I guess we should talk about this later and focus on Yami's duel for now. We can't leave him alone without our help."

Usagi agreed and switched their attention over to Yami. She then remembered that one star chip she had left in her pink bag. Now since Mokuba has been discovered as the thief, there was no need to be hiding it anymore.

"I might as well put on my star chip back. I doubt there's someone else who's stealing star chips on this island," she thought as she took a step back from her group of friends and turned around to get her bag.

Usagi couldn't believe what she'd seen. Her pink bag wasn't there anymore!

"Oh no! My bag! I swear, I just left it here just now. It may only have one star chip in there but my other belongings are there too! Not to mention the rarest card I have!"

She quickly noticed that Saruwatari wasn't there anymore with Mokuba which means that he could've been the one who stole it. Again, he broke his promise about letting go of Mokuba if Yami won the duel against the ventriloquist. Saruwatari was undoubtedly a really bad person in keeping promises.

"Crap! That damn bodyguard must've left with my bag! The only place where he could've gone would be in the forest. Anywhere else would make him an easy target to spot."

Without telling the others, Usagi head off to the forest in search of Saruwatari. She felt disappointed on herself for not alerting the others of what happened but she couldn't interrupt Yami's focus. Bakura was the only one who noticed her anomalous absence.

"Hmph. I'm sure Usagi needs someone to accompany her," he thought as Dark Bakura took control of the innocent Bakura. "I definitely can't let her go alone into her rabbit hole."

 _"I must never go anywhere without you, Usagi... heh heh heh...!"_

After ten long minutes of searching deep within the trees and bushes, there was nothing. Just a few battle boxes scattered around that area with sunlight shining through little openings of the trees. Usagi didn't want to give up yet so she continued searching. For all we know, "Black Magician Girl" is her favorite monster card but not her rarest. What could that rare card be? Whatever it was, it must've been very cherished by Usagi. If not, she wouldn't bother to look for her bag, even if it did contained one of her star chips, she could just duel to get some more.

Usagi then found another battle box in front of her. She was getting tired of this but as she was about to walk away from it to keep searching, she heard a demanding yet familiar voice from behind.

"Stay right where you are, Lady Tsukino! Another step and you might get shot!"

Usagi's eyes filled with fear and slowly turned around. She was face to face with a silver gun pointing at her. It was Saruwatari and he had a really disturbing grin smothered on his arrogant face.

"You...!," Usagi spoke, trying her best not to show any fear in her gentle voice. She was terrified in the inside. She'd never been in a dangerous situation before and what's worse, she didn't know what to do.

"Heh heh... looks like I'm the one who found you. I thought you were with your little friends."

"Enough! I know you're the one who stole my bag! Please give it back!"

"Hmph. Okay, here you go!"

Saruwatari threw the pink bag to her and Usagi caught it. She quickly unzipped it to see if everything was still in there. Thankfully, her star chip and rare card were in place and nothing was missing. Still, why did Saruwatari stole her bag for? He didn't steal anything, so what was his reason for doing something like that?

"W-Why did you steal my bag for?," Usagi stuttered, with her eyes on the gun.

"Don't worry, I won't shoot you if you obey me. Heh... I had to find some way to lure you into here."

"W-What? Just what are you planning to do?"

"Take a look at that battle box."

Usagi did as she was told to prevent a bullet being shot into her head. She was surprised to see that there was someone there waiting for a duel, exactly how Yami found the ventriloquist. They wore a dark red cloak, hiding its face and bending its back towards the table like a dead tree.

"The only way you'll be able to escape from here is from defeating your opponent. Of course, this is no ordinary duel for you," the bodyguard noted as his grip on Mokuba tighten. "Go greet your opponent, won't you? He's the one who has the special rules for this game."

As Usagi entered the box, she couldn't remove her eyes from her opponent. He must be one of the assassins who were appointed to kill her.

"Hehehe... you sure are a pretty young lady to participate in this tournament...," said the hollowed assassin in a shallow voice, "it's hard to believe that Pegasus wants you to be dead..."

"He's testing me... hopefully...," Usagi thought.

Both duelist pulled out their decks and placed it on the table. The assassin then carefully took out two labeled bottles from his briefcase hidden under the table and placed them on top as well.

"Before we start our duel, I'll like to introduce myself to you. It's not like if we'll be able to see each other again... hehehe! You can call me "Doku."

"Doku? Seems like a name fit for an assassin," Usagi thought, not letting a word out of her mouth yet.

"What's the matter? Don't tell me you're shy about meeting new people."

"Hmph."

"Don't give me that attitude. Even though one of us might **die** in this duel, we can still get to know each other throughout this battle."

Usagi eyes widen in disbelief. She was going to play a game that puts her life on the line. No surprise to hear that since Saruwatari already informed her about the deadly challenges waiting for her and Yami.

"Either you accept this duel or take a step outside to get shot in the head. I'll turn around when you do to not see blood splatter across the glass," Doku stated. "Nobody would enjoy seeing a head blow up."

"As if! I accept your challenge! Even if it does cost my own life, I never back down from a challenge!," Usagi announced proudly.

Mokuba also seemed surprised to see her willing to accept that challenge. Not far from there, Dark Bakura made it to the scene but hid behind a few trees, observing the two duelists.

"The rules are simple. The only things that'll be added to this game is this. Everytime one of us gets their life points damaged, they'll have to drink this."

He held up a purple rusty bottle and a small glass cup. The label on it read as "Doku," the assassin's name. Usagi then realized something shocking. "Doku" literally meant "poison" in Japanese!

"Poison?!," said Usagi shockingly.

"Hehehe... correct. It's light poison so it won't kill you the first time when you drink a shot of it. However, as you take your sip on this thing, it'll feel like drinking acid. Your esophagus will burn as the liquid runs down, then your stomach will start boiling, causing you to feel a sharp pain striking immediately. Too much will cause your own blood to get out of your mouth and your liver won't do much help. You'll eventually die from drinking or losing too much blood."

Usagi couldn't move. Hearing that made chills go down her spine. She was barely facing her first assassin and this is how it starts?

"C'mon, stop being so scared about this already. Look on the bright side. I've also brought the antidote for the poison. Whoever wins this battle will be allowed to drink the antidote right away. Unless, you're able to move anymore... heh heh heh...! And whoever loses will need to drink the rest of the poison. We'll be betting our lives instead star chips! Wish you the best of luck! Hehehe!

"I'm fine with that! Let's start this duel!," Usagi finally said.

"Duel!," they proclaimed at once.

"I'll start it off! I play the fiery guardian of her planet, "Sailor Mars!," she announced.

Sailor Mars: ATK/1700 DEF/1000

Level: 5

"I then place two facedown cards on the field and end my turn."

"Hm. Not bad, Lady Tsukino. But now it's my turn. I'll play this card in defense mode," Doku declared. "In addition, I also activate the magic card "Pot of Greed." It allows me to draw two cards from my deck. Finally, I set one card down."

Earthbound Spirit: ATK/500 DEF/2000

Level: 4

Pot of Greed: Magic Card

Effect: Draw two cards

"And with that I end my turn."

Usagi looked curious about what the assassin's strategy was. He was playing like any other duelist on this island and that made her very suspicious.

"Well? Are you gonna start your turn or what?"

"I am! I play "Luna the Lunar Feline" in defense mode."

Luna the Lunar Feline: ATK/300 DEF/1800

Level: 4

"Since neither of my monsters aren't strong enough to destroy your monster's defense, I won't attack. In other words, that's all what I can do in this turn."

"Hehehe! Now the fun is about to began...!!," the assassin chuckled wickedly.

"What?"

"I play "Barox" in defense mode!"

Barox: ATK/1380 DEF/1530

Level: 5

"Huh? Why would you summon a monster that has weak defense? Just what are you planning?," Usagi wondered.

"You'll see! I then activate my magic equip card, "Dark Energy!"

Dark Energy: Magic Eguip Card

Effect: Only equip it on a Fiend-Type monster; it gains 300 ATK and DEF

Barox: ATK/1380»1680 DEF/1530»1830

"My trap activates! "Life Draining Draws!" This card effect continues throughout this whole duel! Every time you take damage from a card effect, I get to draw a card from my deck!," Doku informed.

"A trap card that stays on the field?!," Usagi thought surprisingly.

Life Draining Draws: Continuous Trap Card

Effect: Draw a card for everytime your opponent takes damage from a card effect

"Now may the fun begin! I shall activate "Hinotama!"

Hinotama: Magic Card

Effect: Inflict 500 damage to your opponent

"Oh no...!," Usagi murmured.

Usagi Tsukino: LP/1500

"Heh heh... I'm not done yet. I draw a card from my deck due to my trap card's effect. And guess what? It's another "Hinotama!"

"Urgh...!"

Usagi Tsukino: LP/1000

"Hm. I wonder what could this card be? Oh! I must be very lucky! I activate "Raimei!"

Raimei: Magic Card

Effect: Inflict 300 damage to your opponent

"Tsk... how much longer will this last...?!"

Usagi Tsukino: LP/700

"Heh heh...! Now let's what this card is. Hehehe! Another one!"

Usagi Tsukino: LP/400

This can't be possible! Usagi was already down to her last 400 life points in just one turn! She hasn't even touched the assassin's life points at all!

"I must be very lucky today! Too bad you're the one that ended up with the bad luck. Fear not, milady! I'll end your bad luck by ending your life!"

He drew his card with excitement. That excitement faded as he took a look at the card.

"What a bummer! I didn't draw the right card to end this duel but I guess it'll help my monsters. I play "Yellow Luster Shield!" This increases my monsters defense even more!"

Yellow Luster Shield: Magic Card

Effect: Increase all your monsters defense.

Barox: ATK/1680 DEF/1830»2130

Earthbound Spirit: ATK/500 DEF/2000»2300

"Before I end my turn, I also activate this! "Double Barrier!" This makes my monsters defense increase by twice the amount it is! Have fun trying to destroy my monsters. That is, if you're even gonna be alive!"

"Shit! His monsters protection is so powerful! How will I be able to attack him if I can't even make it though his monsters?," Usagi thought, as hope of winning this duel began fading away.

Double Barrier: Magic Card

Effect: Increase your monsters defense by twice it's amount until the end of your next turn

Barox: ATK/1680 DEF/2130»4260

Earthbound Spirit: ATK/500 DEF/2300»4600

"I'm finally done! Now... drink up the poison you deserve! HAHAHAHA!!," Doku laughed insanely, revealing his horrible face that was hidden. It was all wrinkly and old, like a mummified face.

Usagi nervously drank her first shot of poison and quickly began coughing harshly. He wasn't wrong about the poison. Her throat was burning terribly but she wasn't killed instantly like how the assassin informed. When she barely drank her third glass of poison, that's when she started to cough out blood. It splattered a bit on the table and on her pink bag. Usagi covered her mouth to prevent anymore of it to spill but it didn't seem to stop. She still had to drink one more glass of this horrible poison.

"Hehehe...!! It's no use to resist! Once you drink that last shot, all you will be seeing is pitch black!," Doku thought maliciously.

Usagi let out a huge bloody cough after drinking her last shot of poison. Red blood was covering nearly her whole hand and it also ran down from both side of her lips. Her vision was getting blurry and her heart was beating slower by every second. Usagi didn't know if there was any hope of gaining victory in this fight. It wasn't even a fight. All she did was summon a few monsters and set two cards facedown then totally got her life points drained by Doku in one turn. What was left to believe?

"I... can't... do... it...," she murmured her last words. "There's... nothing... left... to... do. I've... failed... the test...! I'm worthless!"

She looked down in depression. Usagi didn't know what to do in this situation. Could she draw the right card to end this duel? Or surrender and give away her life in despair?

"Yami... I'm sorry... I... I... will never... be... as... strong... and courageous... as you. I'm just... a scared little girl... who just wants to stay away from the dark! I'm sorry... very... sorry-!"

For a split second, Usagi heard a voice in her head. The voice that has been following her ever since she received the invitation to Duelist Kingdom. Usagi tried to ignore it at first but soon, she knew it was something that would change herself forever.

 _"Don't lose hope, Usagi! Me and your friends will always be by your side, supporting you with our feelings! True friends are never apart. Maybe from distance but never from the heart...!"_

"My... friends... are... supporting me...? Even if I'm this weak... they're still there for me! As true friends!"

Usagi's terrified face broke into a warm smile. Tears of joys ran down her cheeks. The pain wasn't bothering her anymore and all she could think of was her friends having faith in her.

"My friends may not be here with me right now... but they're always there inside my heart! Losing isn't an option for this battle!," she thought proudly, finally breaking through her doubts and despair.

"I-Impossible! You're still able to continue the game?! You shouldn't even be alive right now!!," Doku stated shockingly.

"Hmph. I'm still here to fight! Fight for what's important to me!"

Usagi drew her card with courage and didn't have a glimpse of fear left in her eyes.

"For this last turn to end this duel, I play my most cherished card, "Black Magician Girl!"

Black Magician Girl: ATK/2000 DEF/1700

Effect: Gains 300 ATK for every "Black Magician" or "Magician of Chaos" in either player's graveyard

Level: 6

"Ha! What's the use the of summoning monsters if none of them are strong enough to take down my own!," Doku laughed.

"Hehehe... I'm about to show you. I activate my facedown card, "Moon Rights!" This allows me to pick one of your monsters and switch their attack points with their defense points!," said Usagi.

Moon Rights: Trap Card

Effect: If there's a "Sailor" monster on your side of the field, activate this effect: Choose one of your opponent's monsters and switch the ATK and DEF; If you control a monster that originally had equal or more than 2000 ATK, inflict piercing damage to the monster if it's in defense mode. If not, destroy the monster instead.

"The monster I choose is your "Earthbound Spirit!"

Earthbound Spirit: ATK/500»4600 DEF/4600»500

"W-Well, it won't be enough!! I will still have about 500 life points left!," he noted with an annoyed voice.

"Think again. Have you forgot that I had another card facedown too?"

"Crap...!!"

"That's right! I reveal my facedown card! "United to Fight!" This adds up all of my other monsters attack together into one monster. Pass your power to "Black Magician Girl!"

United to Fight!: Magic Card

Effect: Choose one of your monsters; combine all of your monsters ATK into that card.

Black Magician Girl: ATK/2000»4000 DEF/1700

"That's more than enough to end you, Doku! Go, "Black Magician Girl!" "Black Burning!!"

The pretty mage launched a dark purple electrical blast from her wand towards the spirit, demolishing it from the field completely.

"AAAGGGHHH!!"

Doku: LP/0

Winner: Usagi Tsukino

Usagi did it. The odds of her winning in one turn meant nothing if she had her friends believing in her.

Usagi stood up from her seat and without saying a word, she grabbed the bottle of poison and forced the assassin to drink the rest. He eventually did and not long after that, he passed out. Doki, miraculously wasn't dead yet after drinking that much poison so it was the perfect opportunity to kill him for what he had done. Usagi spared his life instead left him lying there on the table, then left the battle box after she drank the antidote. Nevertheless, Saruwatari disappeared again with Mokuba. She didn't had a clue where they've could've gone so it was useless to even search for them.

"I never knew how much friends can mean a lot to me. After so many years of be isolated, they helped me know how it was like to loved by others."

Of course, you thought it was over, right? Right after Usagi left to find Yami, Dark Bakura confronted the assassin with a stern face. He pulled out a pocket knife from his pocket and held it right in front of his horrible face.

"You should have never threatened my Usagi like that, you know? Anyone who does will face instant death. Lucky you're the first one to see hell..."

"H-Huh? W-WAIT!! PLEASE HAVE SOME MERCY—!!!"

"Shut up, you disgusting bastard."

 ** _*STAB!*_**

Dark Bakura had stabbed Doku's throat all the way down with the pocket knife till it got stuck on the table. Blood was overflowing the edge but it didn't disgust Dark Bakura not a single bit. He actually enjoyed the view and how the blood began dripping off, landing on the tile floor as it turned into a bloodbath.

 _"I **will** kill anyone who ever hurts Usagi. I need her to be kept safe till the time is right. Hehehe...!"_


	14. Never Leaving Loved Ones Behind

Deadly challenges have begun. With Usagi winning her first duel against an assassin and finally realizing that she has her friends to cheer her on whenever she's having trouble, no matter if they are there or not. However, Usagi wasn't feeling as confident as back in that duel. She wasn't sure if she could truly win a duel against an assassin without having others to help her. Was Usagi not good enough to duel on her own? Does she have to depend on others to comfort her in battles she can't handle?

"Damn... I wasn't paying attention to where I was going when I was looking for Saruwatari...," Usagi muttered quietly, walking around the forest with a bloody hand and lips with dry blood from both sides. The antidote must've been going slowly since a little blood was still coming out of her mouth. "Yami and the others will most likely be freaked out if they see me like this but I don't know where I can wash myself. I'll have to find some kind of waterfall later after I meet up with them-"

Usagi felt a light tap on her shoulder and jumped frighteningly as if there was a serial killer that had its knife pointed at her. Thankfully, it was only Bakura.

"Oh, I very sorry for scaring you like that, Usagi. I should learn how to properly greet people," he said, giving Usagi a face of shame.

"N-No, Bakura. It's not a big deal. You don't have to apologise for that. I was the one who got scared easily," she replied. "Besides, what are you doing here? I thought you stayed back with the others."

"Well, I should actually be asking you that question but I guess I'll give an answer. I saw you looked worried and kept searching with your eyes for something. Then you got up and walked into the forest without telling us. I didn't know what was going on but I wouldn't let one of my friends go alone just like that so I followed you."

"But how come I didn't see you anywhere?"

"I kinda lost track of you so I got lost. Once I spotted you, I was relieved."

Bakura took a closer look at Usagi and was shocked to see what those red stains on her clothes were.

"Usagi! What in the world happened to you!? You have blood stains on your clothing, hand, and mouth! I can't believe you would actually be walking around looking like that! Did someone hurt you?"

"Uh, it's kind of a long story but I plan to tell it after we meet up with Yami and his friends. Don't worry much about the blood stains though, I'm not injured at all."

"Really? Okay then but let me see just in case."

He carefully took Usagi's bloody hand and examined it, seeing if there was any kind of scratches on it. Bakura only felt the blood but nothing else. Usagi couldn't help it but blushed.

"Hmm... seems fine. I was really worried that you got seriously hurt by someone," said Bakura, gently releasing Usagi's hand.

"It's nothing, really. If I did get hurt then I wouldn't have been able to stand up or move for a while. We better go back with the rest now. They probably are wondering where we have disappeared to."

"Agreed. I've known them for a while now and they never leave their friends behind even in the most dangerous situations. They'll most likely be coming to find us instead of we finding them. But it's better to go back with our friends."

Usagi walked in front of Bakura so that he would make sure nothing is following them from behind. Dark Bakura took control to secretly licked the bit of blood from Usagi that was left on his hand and savoured it.

 ** _*LICK*_**

"Heh heh... your blood tastes pretty sweet, Usagi. It's quite delicious... but I don't plan on drinking your blood like a vampire does. I'm only here to kill anyone who hurts you so that you're safe. That assassin is already in hell and should have never laid a finger on you, Usagi. You're an important part of plan and I need you to be alive. Soon, my Usagi, you shall not worry about anything else once I complete my mission of killing Yami. For the moment, you should be thankful that I haven't gotten a chance to murder that spirit. After this tournament... we'll see what destiny has in store for just the two of us... hehehe...!"

During the duel of Yami and the ventriloquist, many surprising moves were made. Well, for the ventriloquist, that is. The ventriloquist played the first, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" and it kept destroying every monster on Yami's side of the field. All what Yami could do was watch as his weak and powerless monsters were burned into ashes and dust flew off the field. Summoned, killed, summoned, killed. Luckily, he was able to get that dragon into one of his trap cards and defeat it with "Black Magician." His luck quickly vanished as the Kaiba puppet played the second, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" onto the field and killed the dark mage with its "Burst Stream of Destruction." Yami was in a tight spot with only 500 life points left and his most treasured card gone.

" _ **KEE KEE KEE!** Have you forgotten that I have three "Blue-Eyes White Dragons?," _the puppet questioned, giggling wickedly as it spoke. _"N-Now, play your last card... so I can burn it down just like the rest of your pathetic cards! **KEE KEE KEE!!**_

Yami didn't know what to do. Was it worth to continue his turn and draw his last card in shame? Does he know a way to defeat the last dragon? Or was all hope lost for him? He spoke, but only in his mind so that no one else could hear it but him.

"I... don't have a card... in my hand or deck... that could destroy the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon"... I lose this game!," Yami thought as he looked in despair and grasped on his cards. "I'm sorry... Jonouchi... and... Usagi."

 _"Have some faith in yourself, Yami. Cards will only respect their true possessor. Let them decide for you, only this one time."_

He looked a bit surprised to hear that voice again but it somehow made him feel assured. Still, he wasn't safe of what's about to happen next.

"Possessor...? What does that mean...?"

 _"Hee hee! Finished with your turn, I suppose. Now it's my turn to end this battle with my victory! Go "Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Attack his last monster with "Burst Stream of Destruction!!"_

The powerful dragon began charging its attack with a large electrical ball forming in its mouth. Was this truly the end?

 ** _"HAHAHAHA!!_** _THIS IS THE END FOR YOU, YUGI!! PREPARE TO DIE-!!"_

Suddenly, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" stopped charging its attacking and didn't move. The intense atmosphere in the battle box was much lighter than before. What just happened?

" _W-WHAT?! WHY ISN'T MY DRAGON ATTACKING?!?!"_

Without another word, the dragon was vanishing from the field like smoke. The Kaiba puppet cried in agony and fell out of the ventriloquist's hand and crashed on the ground on its head.

"Kaiba...," Yami thought. "This powerful dragon truly serves you as your eternal servant. I believe your life dwells within your cards forever!!"

The group of friends were dumbfounded about this strange disappearance of "Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"Alright! Yugi's lucky! That dragon killed itself!," Jonouchi pointed out happily.

"Yes... but why? It just looks as if Kaiba's card shrugged off Yugi's attack...," Anzu replied.

"Hell if that happened! Cards have their own wills ya know!," Jonouchi shouted.

"Right..."

"Either way, Yugi now has a chance to win!," Honda declared.

"You here dat, Usako! Yugi's gonna-!"

Jonouchi turned his around to see Usagi but she wasn't there. He looked around but she wasn't anywhere to be found. Neither was Bakura.

"Where's Usako and Bakura? They're not here anymore!"

"What?! That can't be. I thought Usagi was still here with Bakura because I knew that they usually stick with each other during duels but how could they possibly be gone?," Anzu questioned.

"Not only that, the bodyguard and Mokuba are gone too! Do think Saruwatari had something to do with this?," Honda asked.

"Most likely. I saw how worried his face was when Usagi was able to predict "Blue-Eyes White Dragon's" arrival so he must've done something to drag her out of our sight!"

"But how did we not notice that they were gone-? Wait. That's it! He did it when we were too focused on Yugi's duel!"

Anzu nodded.

"We can't leave right now to look them. We need to make sure Yugi wins this duel! I hope Usagi and Bakura are okay."

Back to the duel, the ventriloquist was still shocked of "Blue-Eyes White Dragon's" unexpected withdrawal but wanted to continue the game as if nothing happened.

" _Let's continue this game!!,"_ the ventriloquist announced in an annoyed tone as he began to sweat.

"Hmph. You don't have any monsters on your field! Hurry up and bring them out!," Yami ordered.

Yami's opponent gave him a dirty look and opened his hand out to reach for his deck.

 _"The second "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" disappeared... but the third one still rests somewhere in this deck! Whatever miracle happened won't happen twice! If I draw the last dragon, Yugi will lose without doubt and I'll win!"_

He drew his card and played a monster on the field. And no, this wasn't the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Yet.

 _"I summon "Grapplar" in defense mode!"_

Grapplar: ATK/1300 DEF/1200

Level: 5

"Damn ventriloquist... he's trying to defend himself until he draws the last white dragon! That seal trap card is still on the field so if I summon a monster, it will automatically change itself into attack mode. If he summons that dragon in his next turn, I might lose...!," Yami thought as he drawed his card carefully. "I set one card face down and then I summon the "Elf Swordsman" in attack position!"

Elf Swordsman: ATK/1400 DEF/1200

Level: 6

 ** _*SLASH!*_**

"Grapplar" has been killed!"

 _"Fu Fu... but my life points won't go down!," the ventriloquist noted as he drew a card. "I summon a monster in defense position and set a card face down!"_

Yami looked slightly irritated at the ventriloquist for stalling him with meek monsters until he draws the right monster to defeat him. Besides that, Yami was really concern about that face down card the ventriloquist played.

"He set a card down again...! Could it be a magic card... or a trap?," Yami thought cautiously, drawing a card from his deck then placing another card face down. "Now I'll play "Holy Elf" in defense position!

A beautiful blue-skinned elf in a majestic dress appeared on the table with her hands folded, whispering some kind of chant. Due to the trap card played by the ventriloquist, the enchanted elf was automatically changed into attack mode.

Holy Elf: ATK/800 DEF/2000

Level: 4

The ventriloquist observed Yami's monsters and his face down cards behind them.

 _"So far Yugi has two face down cards and three servants... if I draw the last legendary dragon, I can cut his life points down to zero!"_

The tense atmosphere in the battle box grew larger and heavier as both duelists exchanged intense looks. The rest of the gang weren't sure which duelist was going to make a move with their face down cards.

"Kuh... this duel really has tense air around it. I can only see them, but I bet it's difficult to breathe in it," Jonouchi noted.

"Yeah... and both of them have a lot set cards on their side of the field. Maybe one of them must have a trump card... that'll decide who wins this duel...,!" Honda added.

"It's okay! Yugi will win!," Anzu declared, with eyes full of hope. "Yugi will be victorious in this battle!"

The ventriloquist was getting annoyed by Yugi's friends but continued his turn.

 _"My turn..."_

The ventriloquist drew his card and immediately gave a foul chuckle just by staring at the card.

 _"I drew the third "Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!"_

Everyone was in shock to see last legendary dragon back on the field. Yami may have looked surprised as the others but he had something hiding underneath his sleeves to stop that dragon once and for all.

"Yugi...!!!," the group of friends shouted.

 ** _"GO!!! ATTACK THE "HOLY ELF" WITH "BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION" TO END THIS BATTLE!!!"_**

This was the moment of truth. Either Yami had already made a plan to stop that powerful monster or didn't think of something quick and instead watch as his monster was burned down and his life points drop to zero.

"Heh heh...," Yami chuckled quietly as he flipped over one of his face down cards. "Trap card activate!"

Mirror Force: Trap Card

Effect: When your opponent declares an attack, destroy all their monsters that are in attack position

" ** _N-NANI?! A TRAP CARD!?!"_**

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon's" attack was launched right back at it but it was easily deflected due to a trap card that the ventriloquist activated.

 _"Magic card, activate!! "Attack Nullification!" The attack aiming for the dragon is negated!"_

Yami made a fist with his hand.

"Kuh... I knew it. He saw right through my trap!"

The ventriloquist snickered anonymously.

" _Fu fu... your trump card was waisted in vain... I've already made you use up all your best strategies!!"_

"Damn it! Yugi!," Jonouchi shouted, unsure whether or not if he can trust Yami to win this duel for the sake of honor as a duelist. "You can't lose!"

 _"Go on, Yugi. Play your last card to end this duel. Not that it'll make a difference...!"_

"Heh heh... if you insist! I still have my trump card!"

 ** _"WHAT?! THAT CAN'T BE!?!"_**

Yami smiled and showed his trump card to the worried ventriloquist.

"The card, "Dead One's Revival!"

Dead One's Revival: Magic Card

Effect: Select one monster from the graveyard; Special summon it

 ** _"DEAD ONE'S REVIVAL"...! THIS CAN'T BE... HE WANTS TO REVIVE ONE OF MY CARDS!"_**

"You're wrong... it's Kaiba's card!!"

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon" had appeared once again with its blue sharp eyes glaring down at the ventriloquist.

 _"Tsk...! Damn Yugi... but his plan isn't any good... both "Blue-Eyes White Dragons" have the same attack so they'd end up killing each other!"_

"No, I won't do that! Ever since "Holy Elf" was on the field, she's been chanting a spell! A spell that can combine her attack power with the legendary dragon!"

 ** _"WHAT...?! COMBINE "BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON'S" ATTACK WITH THAT ELF?!,"_** the ventriloquist shrieked in fear.

Yami's crimson eyes sharpened and gave a cold glare at the ventriloquist before he attacked.

"Prepare yourself for Kaiba's anger!!," he proclaimed. "Your action shall not ever be forgiven!!"

 ** _"EEP...!"_**

"Here I come... "Holy Burst Stream!!!"

 ** _"EEYAAAAAAA...!!!"_**

Ventriloquist: LP/0

Winner: Yugi Muto

 _"I... I... loossst..."_

Yami then stood up from his chair and gave the selfish ventriloquist a blood-curdling stare at him. His eyes were no longer crimson red but rather bright bloody red with a mixture of violet and purple. A glowing eye appeared on his forehead and he seemed really pissed. Anyone who would dare to look at him this way would most likely die afterwards.

 **"Bastard** **... don't think this is over... my rage hasn't been satisfied yet..."**

" _Huh...!?"_

 **"YOU STOLE KAIBA'S CARDS... FOOLED AROUND WITH A WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT THAT SUPPOSEDLY REPRESENTS KAIBA'S "HEART"... I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU AFTER SHOWING ME YOUR IDIOTIC BEHAVIOR!** **PENALTY GAME!!"**

The ventriloquist was terrified and now all he could see was darkness surrounding him. The Kaiba puppet that fell to the the ground was now crawling up to his legs except, this time, that puppet was actually him!

 ** _"EEYAAAAA!!!,_** the ventriloquist screamed in terror, pushing away the puppet that grabbed onto his mask.

He was actually trapped in an illusion and kept swinging his arms all over the place like a complete psychopath.

"Heh heh... have fun playing with that cute doll of yours," Yami noted as he walked out of the battle box.

The group of friends cheered with joy for Yami winning against the most powerful monster card in the entire game of Duel Monsters, twice! It was a tough battle but with the help of his friends and Kaiba's faith in his cards, Yami was able to overcome those obstacles.

"You did it, Yugi!!!," Jonouchi cheered, "And you got your star chips back!"

"I've got Kaiba's cards back too!," Yami added.

Yami suddenly noticed that something didn't seem right. He wasn't hearing that gentle voice again and knew someone was missing from their group.

"Where's Usagi and Bakura? And Mokuba?"

"Agh! I almost forgot to tell you! Those three disappeared when we had our backs turned! I don't know when they were gone but for sure I know that bodyguard must have something to do with Usagi!"

"Tsk... Saruwatari just keeps running away like a coward, huh? Well then we'll have to search for them! There's no way I will ever leave any of my friends behind!," Yami stated. "Do any of you guys have a clue to where they could've left to?"

"Hm. I'd say the forest area because if they were to go away from us, the forest would be the easiest place to go since anywhere else would make them easy to spot," said Anzu, pointing at the trees and bushes in front of them.

"Very well, then let's go and find our friends!"

Tha gang entered the forest area of the island in search of their missing friends. The sun was beginning to lower down, meaning that the day was about to come to an end and so was the first day of the tournament. Tomorrow was their last chance to earn the right amount of star chips in order to participate in the finals.

"Usagi... I hope you're okay..."

 ***Late Afternoon 3:36 pm***

Far away from Duelist Kingdom, Kaiba, the previous Duel Monsters Champion, miraculously woke up from his coma and stood up from his wheelchair. Kaiba's servants were surprised to see him awake after a long period of time. He was literally standing up straight as if he had no memory of what had happened to him! Kaiba began walking out of the medical room towards his room to change his clothes but his servants tried to make him sit down on his wheelchair again and get some rest.

"Move! Don't try to get in my way!," Kaiba hissed, shutting the door behind him and changed into a fine blue coat, alongside with a dark blue vest and black slacks. He also wore a necklace around his neck with a small Duel Monsters card that carried a picture of his little brother.

The servants patiently waited outside for their master to escort him back to the medical room but ended up stepping aside for him as the tall doors flew right open.

 ** _*SLAM!*_**

"Mister Seto! Please don't walk out on us! You still haven't recovered-!"

"Silence! I have some business to attend to and all you're doing is getting in my damn way!"

Kaiba walked out of his enormous manor, ignoring his servant's comments about his condition. He didn't want to waste time to listen to them and only had one important thing to care about in his mind. Mokuba.

"Bastards! Did you let Mokuba get taken away when I was gone?!," Kaiba yelled in frustration.

"Yes... we're terribly sorry, Mister Seto...," the servants apologized nervously.

"Pathetic...!"

One of Kaiba's female servants came rushing out of the manor and tried reasoning with him she failed miserably.

"Mister Seto, please, you can't go! Your body isn't-!"

"Oh, just shut the hell up!," he fired back. Kaiba was definitely not in a mood for a conversation right now. "Now, bring me my helicopter!"

The wind currents began getting stronger as there was a large helicopter that was labeled, "KC" flying above them as it was preparing to land.

"I'm flying to Pegasus's island!," Kaiba announced as he walked towards the helicopter, not bothering to even take a last look at his servants. All he cared about at the moment was saving Mokuba from Pegasus. "Mokuba... I'm coming for you...!," he thought.

 ***Duelist Kingdom 4:01pm***

The gang are still looking for Usagi and Bakura but so far they haven't found a trace of them. Finally, Anzu spotted a few drops of blood on the grass as they were walking beside some bushes.

"G-Guys... you may want to look at this...," she murmured nervously.

They turned and was as scared and she was when they saw it.

"Blood...!," Yami mumbled to himself.

"Wah! I think someone must've gotten seriously hurt!," Jonouchi stated.

"Ah man, this is getting creepy!," Honda noted. "What if someone got murdered somewhere around here!?"

"Stop thinking like that, Honda! You're scaring the crap out of me!," said Jonouchi as his face was beginning to look worried.

"Wait... what if this blood... belongs to-!"

"Usagi!," said Yami in a shocked voice. "We must hurry up and find those two!"

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Since there's blood here, there must be some kind of trail that'll lead us to them!," Anzu noted. "Look!"

She pointed down at the grass and saw a small path of blood drippings.

"Let's go follow it!"

It didn't took long to find something with that small trail of blood. Unfortunately, it wasn't neither Usagi or Bakura. It was something truly horrifying for anyone to see. The group of friends were face to face with the battle box that Usagi had dueled in and in there was the dead corpse of the assassin she battled against. A pocket knife was struck onto its neck, right down on the table with tons of blood streaming down like a waterfall.

"Oh my god...!!," Anzu mumbled frighteningly with her hand covering her mouth.

"Who the fuck would do something this diabolical...?!," Jonouchi remarked, utterly staring at the dead body in such sickness.

Honda didn't say a thing due to how terrifying this view was. As well as Yami.

"This looks like one of those assassins that Saruwatari described to us," Yami finally said. "This must've been the assassin that Usagi went up against!"

"But... who hell did this to them! There's no way Usagi could have killed this guy. She doesn't seem like a person who would hurt anyone," Honda pointed out.

"I'm not sure... but that doesn't matter! We still got to look for her to see if she's alright," Yami added. "We should be glad that she wasn't in this position."

"Y-Yes... but can we leave now? I... I don't wish to see anymore of this...," Anzu noted. "It's... scaring me..."

They left the horrendous scene and were off to look for Usagi and Bakura once again. Nobody talked to each other for a while after seeing... that. The first murder to ever happen on this island. Was it even safe for anyone to stay here? Just imagine camping in a forest and suddenly finding a dead human in your first night! Eeeek!

The silence broke after they heard some footsteps from behind. They slowly turned their backs and were even more shocked than before when they saw the dead corpse. Usagi was standing their, her blue gorgeous eyes looking at them in delight to have finally see her friends again. However, Usagi's clothes was splattered with blood, her hand, and her lips as well. There was some explaining to do.

"U-Usagi... is that you?," Jonouchi asked.

She nodded.

"Yes... it's me... and Bakura."

Bakura appeared behind her and had a happy expression instead of a shocked face like the rest of the gang. He waved like an exciting child.

"Hello guys! We've been trying to look for you everywhere!"

Everyone stopped being quite and began smiling again with Bakura's bright personality. You just can't act serious when someone as cute as him starts acting so sweet and happy.

"Wait-you guys were looking for us? But we were looking for you!," Jonouchi stated.

"Hehe... sorry for making you guys worry so much about us," Usagi apologized as she walked closer to her beloved friends who were no longer scared, "But... I'm so happy to see all of you guys again!"

Usagi threw her arms around them and gave them a big warm hug to show her love towards them. Yami smiled at her and gave Usagi a hug as well.

"Usagi... all we care about is that you're okay. Don't apologies. I'm glad that you came to us with that warm smile of yours. I will always remember your smile whenever I'm having a bad time. It brings joy not only to me, but to all of us. You will never be alone as long as your heart is connected to ours. That's how deep our friendship is... never forgetting the ones we love and care about."


	15. I'll Win By Myself!

***Evening 4:16pm***

The group of friends were all glad that both Usagi and Bakura were safe after they mysteriously disappeared during Yami's duel. None of them knew why they were gone but Usagi promised that she would tell them the whole story after she washed herself from the blood she had on her face and clothes. Luckily, Bakura noticed a small waterfall that was located nearby the mountain area as they were roaming around the outside of the forest with Honda and Jonouchi making sure no one spotted Usagi. She finally washed her face and it was all nice and clean again but for the clothes, they seriously needed to be thrown into a washing machine. Like, dude, even though Usagi was wearing dark colored clothing, you could still see the blood stains!

"Here, Usagi. You can wear this tank top and this red skirt. I was saving it for later but I know you need it more than I do," Anzu insisted, handing them over to Usagi then closing up her small yellow backpack. "I bet you'll look really cute in those clothes!"

"Thank you, Anzu. I really appreciate it," Usagi replied happily. "I'll go change behind those trees over there, okay? I won't take long, I promise."

She walked behind a thick tree and began removing her dirty clothes. The rest of the gang sat on a clear area of grass right next to a solid side of the rocky hill. Anzu sat down and took a deep breath and was finally happy to get a chance to rest after walking around so much on this island.

"Ah~it feels so good just feeling the breeze touching my face," she muttered softly as she rested her back against the wall of the hill, "It's so refreshing."

"You're right. It reminds me about how many times we've been up on the roof of our high school just to enjoy the view from below. An alluring scene as the sun goes down while we sat on the benches together and gazed at that spectacular view through the fences. The breeze felt nice as well and is always a great way to spend our time together with our friends," Bakura added.

"Yeah, not to mention that whenever either of felt upset or bothered, we could always go up there and watch the beautiful sunset," Jonouchi pointed out. "I still remember when Yugi brought me there when I feeling down about my little sister. It made me forget the worries that I had in mind and Yugi told me that Shizuka will always be proud for me even if she ends up going blind, she'll know how much I fought to save her vision. But I will fight till the end! I know I will win for the sake of Shizuka eyesight!"

"I know you will, Jonouchi," Yami thought with a smile. "You're one who doesn't give up easily. You fight for the ones you care about."

The conversation quite down as Usagi came out of the trees, wearing a cute yellow frilly tank top with a dark red skater skirt. Jonouchi and Honda literally had their jaws dropped in amazement while Anzu looked fascinated.

"Oh man, she's really REALLY cute!!," the drooling boys thought.

"You look outstanding, Usagi! Exactly how an angel would look like!," Bakura complimented as he received a cute goofy look from Usagi.

"Usagi! You look super cute in that outfit!," Anzu announced. "That tank top and skirt really fits you perfectly! I think I'm gonna need you to try out more of my outfits later on."

Usagi giggled cutely.

"Hehe, I'll be more than happy to. Then maybe I can let you try on some of my cute outfits as well."

"Really? I can't wait!," Anzu cheered but went silent when everybody else was looking at her. "Oops! I almost forgot that we're in a tournament right now. Looks like we'll just have to do that another time."

Yami chuckled the turned his attention to Usagi who seemed like she was blushing with all the compliments she was receiving.

"Usagi, may you now explain to us what happened to you when you weren't with us?"

"Oh... right. It's a long story but I'll try to tell it in the shortest way possible."

Usagi explained her whole issue with Saruwatari forcing her into a duel with one of the assassins that were appointed to kill her. She told them what was the consequences of losing your life points in that duel and she ended up drinking nearly the entire bottle of poison. That explained the blood that was on her. Usagi informed them how the assassin planned on killing her but his scheme backfired after she activated one of her trump cards. She left out the part when she was feeling depressed in the middle of the duel. Usagi didn't want them to worry for her too much.

"The assassin was left conscious since he didn't drink as much poison as I did but honestly didn't want to kill him. I don't like solving problems with violence."

"So wait--then who stabbed that pocket knife on his throat?," Honda asked.

Usagi frowned with eyes shocked in fear.

"Stab?! You mean he was killed!?!"

"Yeah... I don't want to explain what we saw though... it's... too disturbing."

"Agree. I nearly threw up just by looking at... his dead body...!," Anzu whispered.

Usagi couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did the assassin get murdered right after she left the battle box? Who would have done it?

"Hehehe... no need to thank me...," Dark Bakura mumbled and quickly turned back into the innocent Bakura.

"Huh? Did you say something, Bakura?," Anzu questioned.

"What? Me? No, I didn't say anything," he replied, looking a bit confused. "Why, you ask?"

"Oh, I just thought I heard you say something. I guess it's only my imagination."

Yami looked up at the sky and knew time was running out. The day was about to come to an end.

"We should get going now. The sun is going down but we still have time to earn some star chips before night comes. Tomorrow is the last chance to earn star chips to enter the castle. We can't lose that opportunity," Yami stated.

"Correct. I'm still upset that Saruwatari got away with Mokuba though. Hopefully, we'll find a way to save him from Pegasus too!," Usagi noted.

Everybody nodded and stood up proudly.

"Alright! Then let's get those star chips!," Jonouchi announced pridefully.

"Yeah!!," the gang cheered.

"Crap! But I'm stuck with only two star chips!," Jonouchi thought, looking down at his duel glove. "I gotta get my game on!"

Yugi Muto: 6 Star Chips!

Usagi Tsukino: 5 Star Chips!

Jonouchi Katsuya: 2 Star Chips!

From a fair distance away from the gang, Mai Kujaku was currently battling with another duelist in a battle box. Surprisingly, she didn't seem as excited as in her duel against Jonouchi or in any duel after that one. Mai defeated her opponent with her "Harpie Lady Sisters" but winning didn't cheer her up by a single bit.

"Kay, I win. Give me your star chips and get the hell out of here...!," she ordered, giving the duelist a bored look.

"Aw man, I have to leave this island now...!," the duelist mumbled.

Mai didn't care about them and kept thinking about how boring it was to duel people like this.

"*Sigh* These guys suck...!"

After the duelist left, there was nobody else around that grassy area. Mai decided to take a rest from all of the dueling she did today so she laid back and rested her head on the bag that was carrying all her stuff in. Mai wandered off in her mind while staring up at the beautiful scenery of the sunset above her.

"That kid...," she thought, immediately thinking about Jonouchi, "You can see... but you **can't** see it!"

Mai was getting angry at those words ever since they came out of Jonouchi's mouth. To her, they meant nothing and it was only some dumb words that were said to distract her in the duel so that she would lose focus.

"Ggrrr!! Oh my god! I can't take it anymore! I can't believe I got beaten by someone like him!?! I swear to god I'll destroy him once I see that face again! And those words, they make no damn sense! It's just a bunch of bull!"

Mai continued to think and say what Jonouchi really meant in those words. Plenty of mumbling and plenty of questions. She probably didn't know there was someone behind her due to how hard she was trying to answer her questions.

"I finally found you, Mai Kujaku!," they declared in an angry tone.

"Hm? And you are...?," she asked dumbly.

"What?! It's me! I'm Dinosaur Ryuzaki! You kicked me outta the cruise ship!"

"Agh... not more bullshit..."

"Duel me here! Right now!"

"Shut up! I lost once so I'm not interested! Go get lost somewhere else! Jeez!"

"Grr... what was that bitch! Tryin to kick me out again?!," Ryuzaki growled. "It won't go like last time! My pride is on the line I'll surely crush you! I got myself five star chips!"

Mai simple showed off her eight star chips she had won so Ryuzaki can stop with his yapping.

"This chick already has eight star chips!," he thought worriedly.

"Get it now? I'm only two star chips away from entering Pegasus's castle! Also--I need to nab two star chips away from a certain opponent!"

"Tch! You mean Yugi? I'll defeat him!"

"But before that here's this pig-nosed guy I need to destroy first."

Ryuzaki gave a strange look at her since he didn't know who this pig-nosed duelist was. Also, he still wanted to duel her after what she had done to him back at the pier.

"...! Oh, right... Alright, Ryuzaki! I'll duel you!," Mai finally confirmed.

"Really?!"

"Yep! But on one condition! You must defeat a certain duelist!"

"Crap! This chick is a pain in the ass but there's no other choice!" he thought. "Uh huh! So who is this duelist I gotta destroy?

"Just follow me!," Mai ordered as she stood up from her resting place and began walking. "Until you beat him, you're going to be my manservant!"

"Wh-What the hell?!"

"Oh... by the way... do you know what "something you can see but **can't** see" mean?"

"Huh? What kind of wacky quiz is that?"

"Just give me an answer!"

Ryuzaki thought for a few minutes and came up with an answer. That answer was actually more wackier than the question itself.

"Oh! I know! The sweet octopus inside the fried octopus! Easy!"

"What?! Are you mocking me?!," Mai yelled.

"No I'm not! You asked for a reply so I gave you one!"

"Yes, but that's the stupidest answer I've ever heard!"

"So what do want as an answer!?"

"Something that doesn't sound dumb nor stupid!"

 ***Evening 4:39pm***

"Heyy, you! Wanna duel me?," Jonouchi blurted out in front of a random duelist.

Duelist didn't pay attention to Jonouchi but to the ones behind him. Yami and Usagi. When the duelist noticed who they were, his face expression looked pretty worried and afraid.

"Th-That's... Y-Yugi... a-and ...U-Usagi behind you, right... no thanks! They would both wipe the floor with me later! Usagi is a really pretty duelist but I already know how deadly her strategies are!"

There goes another duelist running away from the gang. Many of them feared Yami and Usagi due to their reputation and power in the tournament.

"Isn't there any other way...? They all keep running away when they see Yami and Usagi's faces," Anzu pointed out.

"Grrr!! None of them will have the power!," Jonouchi fumed in his mind.

Anzu looked at Yami and blushed a little. She couldn't stop admiring how courageous and confident he was.

"All it is that their afraid of Yami's power...!"

She then gave a curious look at Usagi which she didn't notice.

"But for Usagi... it's both power and stratagem. I wonder how powerful her strategies really are..."

Jonouchi was getting impatient of waiting for a duelist to duel him. He wanted a battle right now! Like, really, right now, before he throws a tantrum like a little kid.

"I think Jonouchi is a tough enemy so maybe that's why duelists are running away from us," said Bakura.

"Nah, they probably feel his aura rage," Honda noted.

"Hey! It's not my fault for getting pissed! I seriously need to duel someone!," Jonouchi shouted.

From out of nowhere, the gang heard a familiar laughed from their right side of them. Jonouchi was the only one who had a bad feeling about that voice.

"Urk...! That voice!"

Someone approached to them from behind a tree with a smile plastered on their face. It was no other than Mai Kujaku.

"We meet again, Jonouchi!," she declared dramatically.

"Ack...! It's Mai Kujaku!," he yelled with a startled face. "You again!!?"

"Yep! You look the same, just a bunch of baby ducks huddling together to walk across the street. Let me guess, Yugi and Usagi are the mommy and daddy ducks that'll help their cute little ducklings cross safely, right?"

"D... Duuckks!?!," Jonouchi growled. "We're not ducklings!!"

Mai laughed at the angry gang for being so angered by her taunting. They really couldn't handle a small joke.

"Yugi... Usagi... doesn't it annoy you guys? Whenever you two are alone, they always follow you!," Mai noted, giving a glare at the two duelists.

"What's with her all of the sudden...?," Yami wondered in his mind.

"I don't get why she's taunting our friends so suddenly but there must be a reason... is she here to challenge Jonouchi again...?," Usagi thought curiously as she gave a cold glare at Mai.

"Whoops... I shouldn't get Usagi mad right now... it's not the time to fight her right now... my target is..."

She raised an arm and quickly lowered it with her hand pointing at Jonouchi like their previous encounter.

"Jonouchi! Last time you got flowers and sparkles! This time my manservant is going to beat you!"

"Manservant...?"

That's when Dinosaur Ryuzaki, the runner up of the Japanese Duel Monsters Championship, came out from behind a tree and showed himself in front of the group of friends. He had a big grin across that funny face of his.

"Heh heh! Been a while, Yugi! Jonouchi!"

"Dinosaur Ryuzaki!," he thought.

"Ryuzaki... he's the runner up in the tournament finals will go against Jonouchi!," Yami thought.

Usagi couldn't stand Mai's constant taunting towards her friends and her schemes to go to the finals. She stood beside Jonouchi who was extremely pissed off by Mai but she ignored him.

"Mai! Why do you have someone else dueling for you? If you want revenge then you got to do it yourself or else you're just a coward who can't face their own problems and instead depend on others to solve them for you!"

Mai smile faded away after hearing what Usagi had said to her. She tried to keep calm and not throw a fit at her even though Usagi was sort of telling the truth. But it was all part of the plan so Usagi doesn't know anything about it. Ryuzaki, however, didn't seem to have gotten the slightest bit of anger on his face. All he was focusing on was Usagi's beautiful face and body features. On his point of view, she didn't seem like a person who would battle or play Duel Monsters with tough opponents. Of course, you guys have already saw what situations she'd been to and man, Ryuzaki doesn't have a clue how she duels at all! For all he knew was that Usagi was one and only female master duelist of Juuban City.

"Mai... change of plans...! I want to go up against her!," Ryuzaki whispered, pointing at Usagi whose expression changed into a questioning look.

"What?! We had a deal! You **have** duel Jonouchi!," Mai hissed. "As your master, you're supposed to obey my orders!!"

"I know but I really don't want to miss a chance to battle one of the greatest female duelists on this planet!"

She turned around and tapped on her chin as she was thinking. Mai had to get her revenge against Jonouchi after defeating her in their last duel but maybe this was a great opportunity to find out Usagi's stratagems!

"Tee hee hee! If Ryuzaki duels with Usagi, I can observe every one of her moves in their battle! I'll be using him as a guinea pig to figure out her most powerful strategies! This far more important than those two star chips I need! I'll have to get them from some other useless duelist around this island!"

Mai turned around, facing the gang with a big smile on her smile. She definitely was up to something if she smiled that brightly during this situation.

"Okay! Ryuzaki! Your opponent shall be Usagi Tsukino!"

"What?! Just a minute ago you demanded Ryuzaki to duel me!," Jonouchi barked.

"Well, yeah, I did. But plans changed...!"

"Plans changed? That's bullshit! I thought you were seeking revenge!"

"I did... buuut I got a much better idea in my head!"

"Grr!! I-!"

Usagi shoved her hand on the front of his face to stop anymore more rude comments from coming out of his mouth.

"Jonouchi... let me handle this. If that's what she wants then that's what she'll get!"

"Hmph. I can now see how much Mommy duck cares about her adorable yet annoying little ducklings!," Mai taunted.

"Grr! What's with this woman?! Usagi's right! She's too much of a coward to face her in an actual duel!," Anzu thought angrily. "I really can't wait to see Usagi show how wrong this woman is!"

Yami didn't say a word during the whole conversation because he usually likes to think his own words in his mind rather than to speak them out. Anzu knew Yami well so she already knows what was in his mind.

"I saw that! Yami was trying to give support to Jonouchi a second ago before Ryuzaki changed his mind on dueling him! He'll give support to Usagi now but we all will together!"

"I wouldn't be underestimating Usagi if I were you, Mai Kujaku! Although none of us have seen her duel yet except for Bakura, we know she's a worthy duelist to compete in the finals!," Yami thought.

"Alright! Let's go settle our duel in that battle box over there, Usagi!," Ryuzaki remarked, pointing at the box in front of them.

"Right!," she replied.

"C'mon! I'm going ahead!"

"Go, my manservant!," Mai cheered as she skipped along his side as they were walking toward the battle box. "Do your absolute best!"

The group of friends walked behind the two overly excited duelists. Jonouchi still was pissed at that blond woman for not wanting to make Ryuzaki battle him anymore for her sinister plans.

"Tsk! That damn woman...!," he mumbled.

Usagi felt bad for Jonouchi because he needed to collect star chips more than herself and Yami. She really didn't wanted to duel Ryuzaki but Mai would most likely complain to him and not change her mind. Maybe if she didn't stood up for him, he would've been the one dueling Ryuzaki!

"I'm sorry, Jonouchi. I should've kept my mouth shut so that I wouldn't have been the one who ended up battling against Ryuzaki," she murmured apologetically with eyes of regret. "Now you lost your chance to have earned more star chips and prove yourself a great duelist without the help of others..."

Usagi looked up at him but he seemed rather surprised than sorry.

"How did--oh, nevermind. You stood up for your friends that's much better than staying silent. I don't blame you if you were getting annoyed by Mai. You show that dino kid what a great duelist you are!!"

Her eyes brighten and the regret faded away from them. Jonouchi somehow always brightens her feeling whenever she's feeling down and even if it's something really upsetting, he encourages her to always smile to bring joy into herself. But... this time... Usagi wants to fight without their help.

"Thank you, Jonouchi. I really appreciate how much you guys help me but I something else in mind."

Usagi turned her head to Yami who knew that she was going to talk to him.

"Yami... may I ask you a favor?"

He nodded but seemed a little concerned.

"I don't want you guys to help me out in this battle!"

Everybody stopped walking towards the battle box and gave Usagi a flabbergast look at her. What on Earth was she thinking?!

"What are you saying, Usagi?! You mean you don't want us to support you in this duel?," Anzu questioned.

"No."

"But why? We're your friends! We can't stay quiet while you battle with silence!"

Usagi shook her head.

"I didn't mean it like that. All I'm saying is that I want to prove to myself that I'm worthy of facing strong opponents without the need of others helping me."

"Usagi, we all know that you're capable of beating Ryuzaki but why are you saying this?," Bakura asked.

She faced the others and as she did, her eyes was filled with tears that told her whole story.

"I... always depended on the ones I care about to help me when I'm having trouble. As a child, I was so shy and stubborn to do anything with anybody so my mother was the one who ended up having to pull me away from those things. She did her best to motivate me to meet people from the world outside but being the stubborn one was difficult. I refused to listen but don't think I would throw tantrums and get angry whenever my mother mention that. I would even try to convince myself to explore the beautiful world but I always had doubts about it as well. Finally, after I met you guys back at the pier, I felt so reassured and thought everything was fine. But... then I noticed... that I was actually depending on all of you to help me out! In the duels I've been to, I kept thinking about how my friends are always there to cheer me on in the most toughest situations. But... does that mean that I wasn't good enough to face them on my own?"

Everyone stayed quiet and didn't let a word out. They wanted to hear her reason without any interruptions.

"Usagi...," Yami whispered quietly.

"My mother had faith in me to try my best in this tournament to make her happy after eight years of being a single mom. I'm not only only here to win for the sake of my mother but also for my father! I already disappointed him for not being able to interact with people other than them and not willing to solve my problems on my own. After his death... it was too late. I never had the chance to prove how I didn't need others to help me out in tough situations. Now whenever mother smiles, I can still see the sadness resting in her eyes, even if she tells me everything is okay. All I want to see is a **true** smile on mother's face after all these years..."

Jonouchi placed a hand on her small shoulder and looked up at the sky.

"Usagi... I also am fighting for the sake of my little sister. I know how you feel. I had a rough childhood because of my family. My mother and father got divorced and she took Shizuka away from me and I didn't get to see her for eight years. After I found out that she was going to get blind soon, I couldn't stop blaming myself as if I was the one who ruined her vision. But after I saw that warm smile from her, I made myself a goal to win this tournament for her eyes!," Jonouchi stated courageously.

"The three of us are fighting for the people we care about and for that reason, we know we can't fail them. Usagi... if you truly want to proven yourself worthy of solving your troubles, then we won't interfere. Show us what you're truly capable of," Yami finished, turning back into the normal Yugi.

She smiled and was thankful for having friends who understood her feelings. Usagi couldn't ask for anything better.

"The regular Yugi came back!," Honda pointed out.

"Goodluck, Usagi-Chan!," Yugi cheered.

"Thank you guys! I promise you that I will win with victory!"

As they continued their walk to the battle box, Anzu had something going on her mind.

"That's weird... why did Yami change back into Yugi...," she wondered the knew the reason why. "I think I get it...! Yami is respecting Usagi's wish therefore, he changed back into Yugi because he wants to show his trust on her! He knows she has the courage and spirit to win on her own!"

Anzu run along side with Yugi to their destination.

"Let's go, Yugi!," she shouted.

"Yeah!," he shouted back.

Usagi gave a look at Yugi and knew how different he was from Yami. When it's the regular Yugi, he acts more childish and much kinder and then when it's Yami, he tends to act more serious but still encourages his friends.

"I honestly feels weird having Yugi back after a long time but he's so cheerful and bright. Thank you... Yami... for having faith in me, just like both of my beloved parents."

 ***Evening 4:57pm***

Usagi and Ryuzaki placed their decks out on the table and prepared themselves for the duel. She sort of felt a little bit uncomfortable because he kept staring at her since they entered the battle box.

"Hello~? You do realize you dropped a few cards on the ground, right?," Usagi noted as she pointed on the floor.

"Huh? Oh! My bad!," he stammered, quick picking up his cards and shuffled his deck again.

Everyone else observed their duel. As what Usagi asked for, the group of friends only tried to cheer her on but not help her out. Mai kept cheering like crazy for her manservant.

"Make your beautiful mistress proud, my cute little manservant!!"

Before the duel began, both duelists had to bet the amount of star chips they want.

"Hehehe! I currently hold five star chips on duel glove! How about you?," Ryuzaki asked in a strange way as if he was trying to flirt with her.

"Uh... I have five star chips as well."

"Hehehe! Then let's bet all our star chips and whoever wins this duel will qualify as a finalist to enter Pegasus's castle!"

"Alright! I accept your challenge, Ryuzaki!"

Before Usagi could draw her cards from her deck, Ryuzaki had another proposal for her.

"Heh heh... I got you proposal, Usagi. If I win this duel, you will have to go on date with me!"

Again, Usagi flustered once again for being asked out on a date. This may not be a weakness to her deck but to herself instead. Any cute girl wouldn't have any problem being asked out but Usagi somehow couldn't act normally when she's complimented or asked out. Ryota was right about one thing, Usagi is not ready to have date yet.

"Grr! I know I'm not supposed to interrupt those two but why do male duelists are always hitting on Usako?!," Jonouchi and Honda thought.

"D-Date...?! Uh... okay! If I lose this duel then I-I... will go on a date with you!," she replied in a goofy way.

Ryuzaki chuckled and was pretty hyped up to win the duel now since he's got the love of his to go out with him.

"Yes! I got to be the luckiest guy on this island! Once I beat this cute chick, she'll belong to me! There's no way I would turn down an once-in-lifetime opportunity like this!," he thought. "Yes, I'll be sad when she gets kicked out of the tournament but hey, l least a chance with probably the cutest duelist ever to roam this Earth!"

Ryuzaki was about to draw his cards but Usagi wasn't going make him be the only one who can propose anything simply like that.

"Ryuzaki... I seem to have also have a proposal for you...!"

"Really? What could that proposal be?"

"Hm... I haven't thought about it but I will during this duel!"

Finally, the two duelists drew five cards from their deck and the duel had now begun!

"I'm gonna warn ya, Usagi! Even if you're such a cutie, I won't go easy on ya!"

Usagi smiled slightly and giggled.

"Ha... I don't expect anyone to go easy on me... because sometimes the quiet ones are always the most deadliest...!"

 _Will Usagi be able to win without the support of her friends? Will she manage to hold her own grudge against the runner up of the Japanese Tournament, Dinosaur Ryuzaki? Was it wise of her to make this decision? You'll soon find out the outcome of this important duel!_


	16. Terror of the Rare Dragon!: Part 1

Usagi is now finally brimming with confidence after Yami trusted her to win the the duel against Ryuzaki on her own. As well as the rest of the gang, who were currently observing this unexpected duel from outside the battle box. Dinosaur Ryuzaki, the runner up of the previous tournament, wielded a strong deck based around different kinds of Dinosaur-type cards that has been yet to be seen in action on this duel. Usagi Tsukino, the master female duelist of Juuban, has beaten many high-ranked duelists from her home and wields a very mysterious deck that is based around "Sailor" cards but almost nobody knew what kind of stratagems could be played with those cards. Very few recognized the beauty of the cards and the deadly power they carried along with them.

"Ready to start this duel, cutie?," Ryuzaki wondered, giving her a flirty look.

"Um... yes...?," she replied, blinking twice in confusion. "Let's get this duel going!"

"Alrighty! I have the mountain area while you have the grasslands. Got that?"

"Yep! Wouldn't forget something important as that!"

"Duel!," they proclaimed at once.

"C'mon, Usagi-Chan! You can do this!," Yugi cheered. "We know you're strong enough to win this duel on your own!"

She smiled and nodded to his comment. The regular Yugi was so much brighter and sweeter but she didn't mind being with either one.

"Remember, Usagi! This is the time to battle your way through situations by yourself! No more depending on others help!," Usagi ordered herself in her mind. "I'll test myself out to see my true skills!"

Both duelists drew their cards from their deck. with their faith in them. Only one will have the honor to enter the castle and take part of the finals, and the other will leave this island and forget all the hopes of achieving their dreams in this tournament.

"Here I go! I'll start my turn by playing "Sailor Mercury" in attack mode!," Usagi stated, placing the monster card on the field as a hologram of a sailor scout appeared.

Sailor Mercury: ATK/1300»1600 DEF/700»1000 (Field Power)

Level: 4

"I then set a card and with that, I end my turn."

Ryuzaki knew she was up to something with that facedown card. He was pretty cautious about every move Usagi made.

"Magic? Trap? I can't tell which one that card could be...! I gotta play it cool!," he thought as he drew a card.

Ryuzaki took a quick glance at Usagi's face but she didn't seem like she was hiding something behind those innocent eyes of hers. However, that wasn't going to bring his guard down.

"This is my card! "Two Headed King Rex!"

Two Headed King Rex: ATK/1600»1900 DEF/1200»1500 (Field Power)

Level: 6

Everyone from outside the battle box had a their full attention on the duel. But why not? This is their first time actually observing one of Usagi's duel!

"Ryuzaki's, "Two Headed King Rex" has more attack points than "Sailor Mercury"... he can attack her monster and dealt 300 points of damage to Usagi's life points," Yugi thought, "...but it all depends if he's willing to attack with that facedown card on the field. What could that card possibly be?"

"Go, my slave! Destroy her puny monster!," Mai urged on like a demanding lieutenant.

"Hold on! I'm not going to attack carelessly! I know there's something up with that facedown card!," Ryuzaki replied.

"Well then hurry up! Are you going to attack or not!?"

"Try to get a hold of your mouth! I'm thinking!"

Ryuzaki stopped arguing with his mistress after realizing it would waste his time. He knew there was definitely some kind of combo that Usagi was planning with that card but he hasn't figured out when she'll activate it. A trap? Magic card? Which one?

"If I attack, there could be a possibility that the facedown card is a trap. Most likely with an effect that'll surely drop my monster's attack points! Then "Sailor Mercury" will end up having more power over my "King Rex" and would destroy it!," Ryuzaki thought vaguely.

Usagi gave small smile at him. She was glad that he was thinking carefully before continuing on with his turn either to attack or end his turn.

"Ryuzaki... have you thought what to do yet?," she asked quietly.

He couldn't help it but he gushed a little at her soft voice.

"God, this chick is so much cuter when she duels! I can spend hours just admiring her cuteness!"

Ryuzaki then noticed that he was taking too long in his turn and snapped out of his thoughts.

"Snap out of it, Ryuzaki!," he ordered himself, "Usagi is just tryin to distract you! I must not never let my guard down no matter how damn cute she is!"

He finally got back into concentration and made up his mind.

"Alright! I'm not falling for your trap, Usagi! I'll end my turn without attacking!," Ryuzaki announced.

She nodded and smiled.

"Very cautious, right? I'm sorry to disappoint you but my facedown card isn't a trap."

"What!?"

"Behold! My magic card activates! "Wandering Spirits of the Forgotten Kingdom!" This allows me to pick a number from one to three and draw cards from my deck equal to the number I chose! I'll go with two!"

Wandering Spirits of the Forgotten Kingdom: Magic Card

Effect: Must have a faceup "Sailor" monster in order to activate this effect: Pick a number from 1-3. Draw cards equal to the number you chose. Out of the cards you drew, if one of those cards is a "Sailor" monster, special summon it in attack position. It must attack when it's summoned to the field.

"Let me see what I got. Perfect! I special summon "Sailor Jupiter" to the field in attack position!"

Sailor Jupiter: ATK/1900»2200 DEF/1100»1400 (Field Power)

Level: 5

"Crap! If I had attacked her monster, she wouldn't have summoned a stronger monster to the field!," Ryuzaki thought.

"Go, "Sailor Jupiter!" "Lighting Razor Fist!," Usagi declared.

 ** _*PUNCH!!*_**

"Your "King Rex" has now gone to extinction!"

"Shit!!"

Dinosaur Ryuzaki: LP/1700

"Yes! Way to go, Usako!," Jonouchi cheered quietly. "You have the upper hand of this duel!"

"Agreed! Usagi is an excellent duelist!," Bakura added. "She knows how to play the game like a pro!"

"Ryuzaki! Now you made your beautiful mistress angry! How could you have not think right?!," Mai scolded.

"Stop blabbering you woman! If you were in the same situation that I was, you would've done the same thing!"

Mai frowned at how rude her slave was speaking to her and gave him a death stare.

"Oh you dare to speak to that way to me!? Hmph! Hurry up and get the job done! I hate having to hear your damn voice every second!"

"Just watch! I'll beat this cutie so that I can already duel you!"

He drew his next card in frustration. Ryuzaki had enough hearing Mai's irritating voice that sounded as bad as scratching a chalkboard with your nails.

"Hell yeah! This monster is powerful enough to destroy "Sailor Jupiter!," he thought. "I'll play this card onto the field! "Sword Dragon!!"

Sword Dragon: ATK/1750»2275 DEF/2030»2575 (Field Power)

Level: 5

"I should be glad that majority of the field is wastelands which means my dinosaurs get more attack power! Good thing this battle box was located in the right place!"

Everyone fixed their eyes on the monster that Ryuzaki had placed on the field. His dinosaur sure did look intimidating but let's not forget that his fearful monsters were destroyed by small yet invincible insects from Insector Haga; It's actually weird if you think about it. An enormous and very brawny T-Rex getting stomped by a measly fly. The fly would probably still have its wings attached to its back!

"Oh no! Ryuzaki managed to summon a monster that's more powerful than Usagi's "Sailor Jupiter!," Yugi thought. "C'mon, Usagi-Chan! You must have something to stop his attack!"

Yugi's mind was getting stirred up with worries till Yami appeared besides him with his hand on Yugi's trembling shoulder.

"Partner... don't worry about Usagi too much. Were you not clear of what she said? She wishes to win this duel on her own and I believe in her as much as I believe in my friends. As close friends, we must always keep our promises."

"Yeah... you're right. I guess I can't handle myself when I'm trying to be defensive with my friends. They can help themselves too so I might as well stay quiet."

Yami nodded and disappeared back into the Millennium Puzzle as Yugi continues to observe the duel.

"Usagi... do your best!," he cheered in his mind.

Ryuzaki took a card from his hand and placed it onto the field.

"Heh heh! Just to make sure that you take more damage from my "Sword Dragon," I will equip it with this!"

Iron Claws: Magic Equip Card

Effect: Equip this to only a Dinosaur-Type monster. That card gains 500 ATK but loses 500 DEF

Sword Dragon: ATK/2275»2775 DEF/2575»2075

"Hehehe! Since Usagi has no cards set behind her monsters, it's safe to attack now!," Ryuzaki thought. "Go my "Sword Dragon!! " Slice that sailor in half!!"

"Sword Dragon" swug it's sharp and spikey tail towards "Sailor Jupiter" in high-speed, ready to slice it within a few seconds. But then, however, seconds before its tail impacted the strong scout, it stopped its attack and changed into defense mode.

"What the hell!?! Why did my dragon stop attacking?!," Ryuzaki questioned in a very annoyed tone.

Usagi giggled cutely as if she didn't know what happened.

"Well, don't you see it's in defense mode? It obviously can't make an attack if it's in that position."

"Yeah—but how did it change positions?! I swear I called an attack just now!!"

"Hehehe... that's because when your dragon was targeting my monster for an attack, my monster's effect activated!"

"N-Nani!? What are you talking about?!"

Usagi revealed one of her cards from her hand to Ryuzaki.

"Kuribella's" special ability is to stop any monster from attacking my "Sailor" monsters and change them to defense position. It's somehow similar to "Kuriboh" but instead of sending it to the graveyard, I shuffle the card back into my deck after activating its effect!"

Kuribella: ATK/200 DEF/100

Effect: When your opponent's monster targets one of your monsters for an attack: Change it to defense position. Afterwards, shuffle this card into your deck.

Level: 1

She took the card and shuffled it into her deck.

"Another type of "Kuriboh" monster...?," Anzu murmured in curiosity. "Pegasus must've made really queer monsters just for Usagi. No wonder why there's rarely anyone who knows about this deck..."

"What the—!? Why would Pegasus create another type of the weakest monster in the entire game of Duel Monsters?! Was he sick or something?," Mai chatted, demanding an answer in her uncertain voice.

Usagi shook her head to the bewildered Mai.

"Don't be like that, Mai Kujaku. The ones who get underestimated by their looks will always be the ones who hide their true potential. You may never how useful this monster is once you see it's power...!," she proclaimed.

"Grrr... I guess that ends my turn...!," Ryuzaki mumbled in displeasure.

Everyone was amused of how well Usagi played the game. It was as if they were seeing an expert magician playing its magic tricks with no secrets hiding behind them due to how difficult it was to spot it!

"I know Usagi is a good duelist but I never thought she was **this** good...!," Honda noted.

"Yeah, she hasn't lost a single life point so far and Ryuzaki's current monster is more powerful than her's! Those duelists who were afraid of dueling Usako weren't kiddin' about her deadly strategies," Jonouchi added, looking down at the strong monsters on the table. "This duel is practically over if Ryuzaki doesn't figure out the weakness! That is... if this deck even has one!," he thought.

Back to the duel, it was Usagi's turn to draw card. She seemed to be enjoying the duel rather than wanting to end the battle.

"Hmm... I set two cards facedown on the field and summon "Gemini Elf" onto the field in attack position."

Two female elves in mini dresses appeared suddenly onto the field. One elf with blonde hair and light skin, wearing a blue mini dress. The other with brunette hair and lightly tanned skin, wearing a purple mini dress.

Gemini Elf: ATK/1900 DEF/900

Level: 4

"I'll end my turn."

"All right! Now it's my turn! I'll surely get something that'll turn this duel around!," Ryuzaki declared as he drew a card from his deck.

He raised his head up from cards in front of his face to look at the field.

"Let's see... so far, "Sword Dragon" is the only monster I control. The cute blonde chick has three monsters in her command and two facedown cards...!," Ryuzaki thought carefully. "Wait—something seems off here. Why does she has her monsters in attack mode? I know Usagi isn't dumb enough to not realize that my dragon has more power than "Sailor Jupiter" but then why didn't she attack it was in defense mode? Is she setting me up for some trap? Or did she accidentally forgot to change her monsters to defense position?"

Ryuzaki thinked too long that he didn't even remember that it was still his turn!

"Servant! What are you doing? Are you gonna continue your turn or not!?," Mai shouted.

"Huh? Oh—right! Of course I am! I was just thinking!"

"Well you really need to hurry up and summon a monster already!"

"Grr—fine! I'll go with this big guy! "Megasauler!"

Megasauler: ATK/1800»2325 DEF/2000»2525 (Field Power)

Usagi gave another cute smile to Ryuzaki. She couldn't wait to see what his strategy will do.

"Nice! You summoned a monster that's more powerful than the ones I control! Now, the thing is, will you attack with it?," she asked.

He got a little distracted by Usagi's angel-like eyes that kept glaring at him. Ryuzaki snapped out of it and tried to keep his focus on the game. Again.

"Okay! I have two monsters on my side of the field that are far more powerful than Usagi's monsters! I just have a feeling that she's waiting for me to attack to trigger one of her facedown cards. If those cards are simply to bluff with, I can admit that she's one good bluffer," he thought, changing his " Sword Dragon" into attack mode. "Screw it! I'll have to go with my gut! "Sword Dragon!" Attack "Sailor Jupiter" with your razor sharp tail!"

The dragon launched its tail towards the fearless scout once again in high speed. Once more, its attack stopped when Usagi flipped over one of her facedown cards.

"Mirror Force," activate! Now all of your monsters in attack position are destroyed!"

Mirror Force: Trap Card

Effect: When an opponent's monster attacks, destroy all their monsters that are in attack position.

"N-No way!! I can't believe I was that gullible to attack!!"

That one move certainly wowed the gang outside the battle box. The mighty dinosaurs that ruled the field of the game were wiped out faster than the blink of an eye.

"Man, Ryuzaki screwed up big time!," Jonouchi stated. "He literally fell into Usako's trap like a fly!"

"Yeah, what's more is that I'm not the only one who controls "Mirror Force" in my deck!," Yugi noted to Jonouchi's comment. "That trap card is overwhelming in power but that what makes it extremely rare to find. There's very few copies of it and some may claim it to be as rare as the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!"

"R-Really?! Damn... Usako is carrying a deck could most likely wipe out the majority of the duelists on this island!!"

"Don't you think that you're part of that majority, Jonouchi?," Honda asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"W-What?! No... of course I'm not! I know I can figure out a way to beat Usako—!"

"Yep, but not in 100 years!," Anzu added. "Not trying to be mean to you, Jonouchi, but Usagi has a really strong deck that'll easily beat that combo with "Time Wizard" and "Baby Dragon!" You might want to upgrade your deck with other cards if you want to take her on."

"Anzu's right. I've been with Usagi in her other duels and her opponents were beat to a bloody pulp!," said Bakura.

Everyone stared at him for a moment. For a kind and cute guy like Bakura, nobody expected him to say something so... um... frightening.

"In the game! Not in an actual fight guys!," Bakura pointed out after noticing the scared glares he was receiving.

"Oh... yeah, I-I see what you mean!," Jonouchi replied in a slightly freaked out voice. "It's not like if I was picturing something else...!"

"C'mon guys! Enough of what I said! We got to focus on Usagi's duel!"

"Yeah! She's doing great so far! Let's hope that she keeps it up!," Anzu noted.

Back to the duel, Ryuzaki had nothing left on his field after declaring an attack and Usagi had plenty of cards in her control.

"It's my turn now, Ryuzaki! I draw!," she declared. "You don't seem to have many monsters left to summon, right? Don't worry, I'll give you one! I activate my other facedown card! "A Sailor Scout's Duty!"

A Sailor Scout's Duty: Magic Card

Effect: Activate only if you control a "Sailor" monster: Give control of one of your monsters over to your opponent. The monster has to be in attack position. Afterwards, make that monster's ATK and DEF 0. It takes half of the damage it would get from an attack and cannot be destroyed by battle. It can only be attacked by one monster each turn.

"I'll hand over my "Gemini Elf" to you. At least you'll have something that could keep you guarded for the meantime."

Gemini Elf: ATK/1900»0 DEF/900»0

"Yeah, but in this turn I'll take damage!," Ryuzaki blurted out.

"Exactly! Before I go to my battle phase, I'll summon this card in defense mode. "Luna, the Lunar Feline!"

Luna, the Lunar Feline: ATK/300 DEF/1800

Level: 4

"Now since that's taken care of, it's time to attack! Go, "Sailor Jupiter!" Attack "Gemini Elf!," Usagi shouted.

"Tsk...!"

Dinosaur Ryuzaki: LP/600

"I'm done with my turn. You're up."

Ryuzaki clutched his hand into a fist and slammed it onto the table. Everyone seem to already know how pissed he was for being humiliated by Usagi's smart moves. Ryuzaki was supposedly known as the runner-up of the Japanese Championship but he definitely didn't live up to his reputation after facing Usagi's deadly strategies. Was he still willing to fight?

"Grr...! For my turn, I'll summon "Wild Raptor" in defense mode!," Ryuzaki stated.

Wild Raptor: ATK/1500»2075 DEF/800»1325 (Field Power)

Level: 5

"Next, I will change the "Gemini Elf" you gave me into defense position. Tsk... guess that ends my turn!"

"This duel won't last much longer," Anzu noted from outside the battle box. "It could probably end by the next few turns!"

"By the looks of it, Ryuzaki will probably surrender instead!," Jonouchi added.

Mai gave Yugi's gang a dirty look. She certainly hate having to hear them speak about her slave in such a rude way.

"Oh, shut up you ducklings! I'm sure Ryuzaki will end this battle in his victory! Now can you guys zip your damn mouths and let me observe this duel in peace!"

"Why? Is it because you already know that Usagi will win but just can't admit it?," Anzu assumed as she smiled. "Please, I know she will win! We all do!"

Mai turned around, flipping her curly blonde hair in anger as she did.

"Hmph! I hate to admit but Anzu has a point. At the rate, if Ryuzaki doesn't play a stronger monster than "Sailor Jupiter," he's done for," Mai thought. "Ugh! I can't believe he can't keep up with her darn strategies! He'll easily be beaten within a few turns if he can't summon a powerful monster!"

She began throwing her fist on the glass of the box to get Ryuzaki's attention.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?! You better stop screwing around and get your mind into the damn game!!"

He just gave her an irritated look.

"My god! What a bitch! She can't even shut up for a whole second! Once I'm through with Usagi, it's your turn!," Ryuzaki thought.

Usagi ignored the heated argument and continued her turn. She couldn't resist hearing them constantly shouting at each other over and over again like dogs barking on the other side of the fence.

"For this turn, I'll place one card facedown on the field and play "Sailor Mars" in attack mode!"

Sailor Mars: ATK/1700»2000 DEF/1000»1300 (Field Power)

Level: 5

"Now attack! "Arrow of Spiritual Flames!" Your raptor has burned into a crisp!"

The black-haired sailor scout shot a burning arrow towards the puny raptor and nothing was left except its ashes.

 ** _*SHOOT!!*_**

"C'mon, Ryuzaki! I know you're much better than this in dueling! Show me your true potential!," Usagi stated loudly.

"Grr! If only it was that easy! I summon "Corpse Devouring Dragon" in defense position!'

Corpse Devouring Dragon: ATK/1600»2125 DEF/1200»1725

Level: 5

"I need to draw a strong card by my next turn! If not, I'll miss my chance getting to go out on a date with this cute chick!"

"Okay! It's my turn now! You should be prepared for another attack, Ryuzaki!"

 ** _*PUNCH!!*_**

"There goes another monster to the graveyard!"

The gang kept cheering in joy for Usagi. They knew the battle was about to come to an end.

"Keep it up, Usagi-Chan!," Yugi thought happily. "You're here to fight for the sake of your mother's happiness. I believe she would've been smiling at you if she was here. I just know it!"

Ryuzaki nervously drew his card and looked at it. He grinned and no longer looked stressed out after receiving so much damage from Usagi. What was up with the card he just drew?

"Hey... what's up with dinosaur boy? He suddenly looks... happy?!," said Jonouchi.

"What?! Why would he be smiling when he's about to lose?," Honda questioned. "I don't know if there's anything to even smile about. Unless—!"

"Oh no! Usagi! Watch out!," Yugi shouted as his smile faded away. "Ryuzaki drew his trump card!"

"Hahahaha!! I've finally drew the card that'll end this battle in **my** victory! "Red-Eyes Black Dragon!!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon: ATK/2400 DEF/2000

Level: 7

"Unbelievable! I can't believe that you controlled a monster that's so powerful and rare!," said Usagi in a shocking voice.

"No way...! That card's so rare it could be worth hundreds of thousands of yen!! And its attack power is high level too!," Yugi thought worriedly.

"Way to go, my servant! Now you have the upper hand of this duel!!," Mai cheered happily.

"Shit...! The two cards I have facedown on the field are useless right now! I need to draw the right cards in order to activate them!," said Usagi in her mind. "If he attacks, he'll know that my facedown cards are useless and nothing to worry about!"

Ryuzaki had a big smirk plastered on his face.

"Heh heh! I got the legendary "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" as a tournament prize! It's an ultra rare card! Although it won't be able to gain any field power, it's still high in attack!"

He then looked at Usagi if she looked worried about his rare monster. She did her best to not give a surprised expression because if there was even a small bit of fear showing on her face, Ryuzaki would know right away that she didn't had anything to defeat it. The only option that was left for Usagi was to bluff with the facedown cards until she drew the right cards to activate them.

"That's indeed a very powerful card you have, Ryuzaki. It's strong enough to take down "Sailor Jupiter" with one hit!," she stated. "You will finally get a chance to inflict damage to my life points!"

"Hm... I don't trust her. I had attacked her with my mighty dinosaurs and they were turned into dust the second I blinked," Ryuzaki thought, observing the facedown cards on the field. "If I attack again, Usagi will most likely activate an effect that can destroy my best monster right away! I can't afford to lose him right now!"

Usagi was panicking in the inside, hoping that Ryuzaki didn't plan to attack her in this turn. She was literally gambling to survive the game!

"Hmph! Alright! I've decided to not attack on this turn!"

Usagi quietly let out a sigh of relief. If he were to attack "Sailor Jupiter," the rest of the monsters in she would have summoned would be powerless against "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" due to her monsters only getting a small field power boost to their attack and defense. Usagi had a feeling that all her magic and trap cards were somewhere laying on the bottom of her deck! Bluffing was the only choice she had if she wanted to avoid any major damage to her life points.

"Crap...! Right now I'm in a really tight spot! If I take too long to draw the cards I need, Ryuzaki would probably attack if I'm not playing anymore facedown cards," Usagi thought cautiously. "And if I change my monsters into defense mode, he'll get suspicious and might figure out that I don't have a single thing to protect my defenseless monsters, thus, making him attack them. My honor as a duelist is on the line! I'll fall behind Yami and Jonouchi if I don't play carefully!"

 ** _"I will lose the honor of being a great duelist, forever!"_**


	17. Terror of the Rare Dragon!: Part 2

The intensity dwelling within the battle box grew tremendously as the arrival of "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" surprised Usagi and the rest of the gang. With such high attack and defense it had, Usagi didn't have any capable cards to defeat it right now. The astonished Mai already knew Ryuzaki finally had the right card to take down Usagi's strategy and get her out of the tournament. However, Usagi had a plan to stall Ryuzaki and prevent him from attacking her monsters with "Red-Eyes Black Dragon." And you know what was her plan? Bluffing.

"I have to draw the cards I need quickly as possible. This is one of the downsides of my deck," Usagi thought, drawing her next card for her turn. "Yes! I was able to draw one of the cards necessary to activate my facedown cards. Hopefully by my next turn, I'll draw that card!"

The gang were worried for Usagi's chances of winning the duel but at the same time, they felt like that black dragon was nothing to worry about since Usagi was a really skilled duelist. They had to believe in her.

"Hey... do you Usagi has a plan to beat that dragon?," Bakura asked to Jonouchi.

"Hell yeah she does! There's no way she can't have a plan to end "Red-Eyes Black Dragon!," Jonouchi immediately answered, turning over to Yugi. "Right, Yugi? You know that Usagi will win!"

Yugi nodded but inside his mind, he couldn't stop worrying about Usagi.

"Usagi-Chan... I hope you know what you're doing...!," he thought.

Back to the duel, it was Ryuzaki's turn. He clearly didn't look stressed out as much as before now that his strongest monster was on the field. All that was left was to kill Usagi's monsters one by one and end this duel to finally get that date with her. He was still pretty cautious about her facedown cards though so he had to be careful.

"Heh... it won't be long till we go on our date, Usagi!," Ryuzaki noted as he drew his card. "Just you watch me crush your cards!"

Mai chuckled softly along with him.

"That's right, my servant! Finish her off to duel me!," Mai cheered. "Don't disappoint your beautiful mistress!"

Anzu gave a displeased look at Mai, which, Mai noticed and gave one back to her.

"Oh, look who's talking! You don't even have the guts to duel Usagi!," Anzu shouted. "So much for depending on Ryuzaki to defeat her for you!"

"Heh, you sure talk a lot for a measly cheerleader. You don't have the slightest clue of what's about to happen in this duel, don't you?," Mai fired back.

"Well, whatever it is, I know it won't be a big deal at all for Usagi!"

"Hmph! Are you sure about that hun? Guess you don't know anything about this game."

"You may be right about that, Mai Kujaku, but I can assure you that Usagi will win!"

Anzu turned away from Mai and focused on the duel, feeling irritated that Mai keeps blabbering that Ryuzaki will win the duel as if she didn't know how high Usagi's reputation was in Duel Monsters.

In the duel, Ryuzaki played another Dinosaur-type monster onto the field in defense position to make sure he wouldn't lose any more life points. Again, he ended his turn without attacking any of Usagi's monsters. This gave her a chance to draw the right card needed for her facedown cards.

"C'mon...! This stalling won't last for long...!," she thought. Usagi looked at the card she drew and grasped on her other cards a little tighter. "Damn it... this isn't the card I needed. Looks like I have to wait for another turn."

Once again, she also ended her turn without attacking and this started to make Ryuzaki suspicious.

"Hm... strange. I know I gotta be careful with Usagi's cards but... why hasn't she activated any of them? Is she just waiting till I attack her "Sailor Jupiter" with my "Red-Eyes Black Dragon?" Or maybe... Usagi can't activate them due to the effect of the card!," Ryuzaki noted to himself in his mind. "I could be wrong but that's all I can think of. Plus, why would she be waiting for me to attack her if she knows I probably won't attack at all? Wait... she could've been stalling me this whole time!"

 ** _*Thud! Thud!*_**

"My dear servant, you do realize there's duel going on, right?," said Mai while she was tapping on the glass of the battle box. "We don't have all day to wait for your next move!"

"Grr... I know! Why don't you try givin' me some time to think?"

"Because you're taking too long! Now will you attack or not?"

Ryuzaki knew what his answer was so he ended his turn. This duel didn't had any battling going on at all even though there's some really strong monsters on the field but neither duelist have declared an attack yet. The monsters might as well be displayed at the Domino City Museum where their description states that these are the only monster cards with overwhelming power that can't even land a punch during a duel! They're not statues, you know!

"This duel seems very tedious," Bakura noted. "Neither have declared an attack for the past five turns nor have even played another card. Yugi, do you know what's going on?"

Yugi shook his head and formed a puzzled face.

"I'm afraid not, Bakura. I can't tell if they're planning their next moves ahead or they just don't feel safe about each other's cards. I'm hoping that Usagi-Chan knows what she is doing."

"Y'all gotta give her time. I bet she's waiting for the right time to activate her cards," said Jonouchi. "I know she'll get through this!"

"I guess but it's already been five turns and she hasn't activated a single card yet," Bakura pointed out.

"Yeah... that does seem a little off... but that doesn't matter! We gotta believe in her as much as she believes in us to keep our promise!"

"Sorry guys but Jonouchi has a point. As friends, we must never break a promise we have sworn to keep," Honda noted, placing a hand on Jonouchi's shoulder.

"Then let's have faith for Usagi to win!," Anzu finally shouted, throwing a fist onto the air.

As the group of friends were so busy chatting with each other about having faith in Usagi, the duelist herself in the battle box formed a small smile. She never knew how it felt for someone to keep a promise that'll they never break since she never met anyone else other than her parents and Pegasus. This was something Usagi will never forget about once the tournament ends.

"Thank you... everyone... for believing in me...," Usagi whispered as she wiped a tear rolling slowly on her cheek. "I will finally prove how strong I can be with my own strength!"

Usagi drew a card and took a deep breath, knowing that it wouldn't matter if she had drawn the right card or not because it wouldn't change the fact that she was no longer scared of facing the world. Her doubts and worries have shattered like a falling vase when she knew the importance of learning new things with people who love you. There's no need to be scared of anything if you have the courage to face it on your own, just like what Ikuko once told Usagi.

 _"If you think you're not ready, then toughened yourself up and face those challenges with no fear!"_

"I... believe in my cards!!," Usagi finally declared as she looked at the card. "And it's the card I just needed to defeat you, Ryuzaki!"

"Shit! This can't be!," Ryuzaki shouted worriedly.

"Here I go! I activate my magic card, "A Sacrifice of a Sailor Scout!" With this, I can tribute my "Sailor Mercury" and draw two cards from my deck!"

A Sacrifice of a Sailor Scout: Magic Card

Effect: Tribute one faceup "Sailor" monster you control; Draw 2 cards.

"And now I summon my most faithful monster, "Black Magician Girl!!"

Black Magician Girl: ATK/2000 DEF/1700

Level: 6

"I then set my other card facedown on the field and end my turn. Let's see what you'll do," Usagi stayed with her voice brimming with confidence.

Ryuzaki couldn't believe how much confidence was showing in her eyes and suddenly felt nervous after looking into them. Was her victory already ensure? Or was this just another bluff to distract him?

"Damn it... now I gotta be really careful of those damn facedown cards!," Ryuzaki thought as he drew his card. "I'll be dead if I don't act carefully! What's worse, I might not even get that sweet date with her! Crap!"

"Usagi will definitely win! I can tell by the confidence in her eyes!," Bakura stated. "She's ready to face Ryuzaki's next move!"

"Go get him girl! You got this!," Anzu cheered.

Anzu glanced over at Mai who she expected to look pretty upset by now but to her surprise, she was smirking. What was there to be happy about if Ryuzaki is this close to losing.

"Now what is it this time, Mai Kujaku?," Anzu questioned as she crossed her arms. "Oh, let me guess, you still can't admit that Ryuzaki will lose, can't you?"

"Watch your tongue. I would've cut that box-like haircut of yours by now but since I'm nice, perhaps that wait for another day. Too bad you don't have long and pretty golden hair like me and Usagi. Not many girls can get a nice guy to like them with their horrendous short haircut. You might as well go bald as an old hag."

"Tsk! I really, **really** want to beat the crap out of this woman already!!," Anzu fumed in her mind. Mai had just crossed the line but Anzu avoid using any kind of violence to deal with her. "That has nothing to do with this! You're just trying to change the subject to not answer my question!"

"Hm? Did I touch a nerve? I'm terribly sorry for you for not looking as gorgeous as me. No wonder why you're hanging around with a group of guys. I'm actually surprised you were able to become friends with Usagi who's far more prettier than you."

"Enough with that! I may not be perfect in beauty but the looks is the least that matters to me! Besides that, I know that this duel will end in Usagi's victory!"

"Sorry hun but don't you mean defeat?"

"Huh? You're joking! What card could possibly save your so call, "servant" from getting utterly destroyed by her deadly strategies?"

"Tee hee... just watch."

Back to the duel, Ryuzaki stopped grinning at his card and looked up at Usagi. She didn't seem to know what was going on but knew it wasn't something to be excited about at this crucial moment.

"Usagi! I've got an idea! How about if I win this duel, you'll hand over your "Dark Magician Girl" to me!," Ryuzaki announced, receiving shocked faces from the group of friends. "You seem pretty confident about winning so giving away your best card won't be a big deal."

"Hey! That's not fair! Do seriously expect Usako to give that card to you?!," Jonouchi yelled as he pounced on the glass with his fist. "I won't—!"

"Jonouchi!," Honda hissed. "Usagi won't lose at all if her card is on the line. Well, she can't even lose a single life point so stop worrying so much!"

Jonouchi sighed and lowered his hand from the glass.

"Right. We gotta believe in her."

"Ugh... would you guys mind to stop repeating the same lines every time? Even if you believe that Usagi will prevail, that doesn't mean anything. You gotta face the reality of this world," Mai informed. "Such things don't matter anymore to anyone."

"Say all you want, Mai. There's still no way Ryuzaki can beat her!," Anzu stated.

"Hmph. Okay then, if that's what you "believe" in."

Usagi didn't change her facial expression when she heard that her "Black Magician Girl" was going to belong with Ryuzaki if she loses. He was bothered that she didn't look worried at all.

"Alright, Ryuzaki. My card shall be given to you if I lose but don't think that you're the only one who'll be betting in this game," Usagi finally said. "If I win this duel, you'll give your "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" to Jonouchi!"

"S-Say what?! You want me to give my rarest card to that guy?!," Ryuzaki blurted out in shock. "Wouldn't it make more sense if I gave it to you instead? I mean, you're obviously the one who's dueling for it, not him!"

"Yes but I believe Jonouchi could use a powerful card in his deck to keep dueling in the tournament, therefore, he's the one who truly needs that card, not me. Plus, you don't know if I'll win or not."

"Heh heh... you're right about that. Then it's settled!"

The bet has been set. The loser will be giving away their best card to the winner and an addition to their defeat, they'll lose the remaining star chips they currently hold and leave the island.

"I can't believe that Usagi actually agreed to the bet," Bakura murmured. "She's gonna have to give her best card away..."

"That only proves how confident her spirit is, Bakura," Yugi pointed out with a smile. "There's no doubt that confidence will be key to her victory."

"Right! Though, do I really deserve "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" at all?," Jonouchi whispered to Yugi. "I don't think I should get rewarded with a powerful card. I didn't even duel!"

Yugi nodded.

"Well, every duelist should have a strong monster in their deck. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" would fit perfectly and you'll have a powerful card by your side just like my "Black Magician" and Usagi's "Black Magician Girl."

"Hm... I guess so."

"Ha! Do you really believe that you'll get that rare card, Jonouchi? I highly doubt it," Mai confirmed.

"Grr... and what makes you say that?"

"Haven't you noticed the smirk my servant has across his face?"

He had this smirk for quite a while and nobody knew why. Could it be... that he has a card to turn the tables around? Or why else would he be smirking about?

"Heh heh! This is it! You won't be able to survive the duel much longer, Usagi!!," Ryuzaki declared proudly as he showed the card in his hand and placed it on the field. "I activate the magic card, "Harpy's Feather Duster!!"

Harpy's Feather Duster: Magic Card

Effect: Destroy all Magic and Trap cards your opponent controls.

In a blink of an eye, all of Usagi's facedown cards have been destroyed and sent to the graveyard. This was truly shocking to everyone observing the duel as they had high hopes for Usagi to win. What will she do now?

"Th-This can't be...," Anzu muttered nervously.

"Hahaha! Now you have nothing to defend your monsters with, Usagi!," Ryuzaki stated loudly. "I can finally get rid of your "Sailor Jupiter!"

"Wonderful job, my servant! Now go and finish off Usagi!," Mai cheered.

"Hey! That card doesn't belong to Ryuzaki! I know his cards were supposed to be based around Dinosaur-Type monsters and magic cards but that card is from your deck, Mai Kujaku!," Jonouchi confirmed. "I don't know any other duelist who controls a deck based on "Harpy" cards on this island."

"Well, aren't you a smart one? I just lended my little slave that card because I've heard that Usagi's strategies usually work their "magic" with her magic and trap cards. Tee hee... and I had to the perfect card to put an end to her deadly stratagems."

"Damn... Mai's pretty smart... gonna give her that," Jonouchi thought.

"Wait! But isn't there a rule against borrowing cards from other duelists here in the tournament?," Honda wondered.

"Luckily, there isn't. Otherwise, Usagi wouldn't have been an easy opponent to defeat."

"Let's see about that!," Anzu shouted. "You haven't even tried to duel her yet!"

"I'm just waiting until the time is right."

Now, back to the duel, Usagi was now only left with three monsters on her side of the field. There was no longer any facedown cards left on the field to worry about for both duelists. Well, mostly for Ryuzaki who had trouble trying to declare an attack with those facedown cards waiting to be triggered.

"All right! It's time for me to take down your monster once and for all! Prepare yourself, Usagi!!," he announced. "There's nothing else you can do to—!"

Ryuzaki looked up once more to see if Usagi had finally got frightened but... there was nothing. Her expression hasn't changed a single bit even though her monsters were about to get killed.

"Tsk... she's a tough one alright. Why hasn't this chick shaken up with fear when she's this close to losing her best card?!," he thought angrily. "Could she be bluffing? Dammit!"

"Ryuzaki, are you going to attack?," Usagi asked calmly.

"Huh?"

"Don't you want to go out with me? You're definitely not gonna take me anywhere if you keep staring at the table like a zombie. Now, are going to attack or not?"

"O-Of course I am!! Go my "Red-Eyes Black Dragon!!" "Black Fire Bullet!!"

The intimidating dragon charged up its attack and shot its powerful flames upon "Sailor Jupiter." Quick thoughts ran into everyone's minds as they were watching this battle that was coming to a conclusion.

"Heh heh... she's done for," Mai stated firmly in her head.

"Usagi...," Bakura muttered.

"Usagi...!," Honda thought worriedly.

"Usagi! Please do something...!," Anzu cried.

"Usako!!," Jonouchi shouted.

"Usagi-Chan!!," Yugi yelled.

For a brief moment, Usagi heard the cries of her friends, letting her know how much they worried about her as the battle was coming to an end. Usagi had no knowledge of what it felt to have friends who care for you... but... this feeling that quickly stroke her... wasn't about caring. It was the purity of trust they had in her. Although Usagi could feel the worries in their cries, deeply within the voices, there was a trace of faith flowing through them. Her friends have been keeping their promise the whole time she was dueling.

"Now!! "Kuribella's" effect activates!!," Usagi proclaimed, flipping over a card she had in her hand. "Your dragon switches into defense mode and I shuffle the card into my deck!"

"Wh-What!?!," Ryuzaki blurted out.

"What? Have you forgotten that I had this card?"

"Grr...! Dammit!! How could I forget about that damn card?!"

Kuribella: ATK/200 DEF/100

Effect: When your opponent's monster targets one of your monsters for an attack: Change it to defense position. Afterwards, shuffle this card into your deck.

Level: 1

"It's now my turn, Ryuzaki! I will win on behalf of my beloved parents!! I draw a card!," Usagi declared. "On this final turn, I activate my magic card, "Failure of the Enemy!"

Failure of the Enemy: Magic Card

Effect: Toss a coin and call either heads or tails. If you call correctly, you can choose one monster in defense mode from your opponent and change it into attack mode. Make its attack 0 until the end of this turn. If you call wrong, destroy all monsters you control and take half the damage equal to the combined ATK of all the monsters.

"I call on heads! That means that if I call it right, it's the end for you, Ryuzaki. However, if I call wrong, it's the end for me," Usagi informed.

"So it's the matter of how much luck Usagi has now. That coin toss will determine the results of this duel," Honda stated.

"I can't believe how much she's risking to stay in the tournament," Mai finally said in disbelief. "Heh... but it all depends on that coin. She only has a fifty percent chance to call it right and fifty percent chance to call it wrong."

"Shit! This can't be good...!," Jonouchi thought. "If she calls it wrong she'll lose this battle! She can't—!"

"Jonouchi...," Yugi uttered as he placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "We can't lose trust in Usagi-Chan."

"Yeah but... what if she doesn't—!"

Anzu slapped the back of Jonouchi's head and gave him an irritated look mixed up with a slight touch of disappointment.

"Relax yourself, Jonouchi! What about the other stuff you just said before? You clearly said we **have** believe in her. Now what's up with you all of the sudden? You can't trust Usagi anymore?"

"What?! No, it's just that—"

"C'mon! We made a promise to her and we're not going to break it! No matter how difficult this situation may seem already, the key for Usagi to win is our trust!"

"Anzu's right, Jonouchi-Kun! As friends we will always believe in each other!," Bakura added to Anzu's statement.

"Fine! Then let's give Usagi all the trust we have!," Jonouchi finally announced.

"Now that's the Jonouchi I recognize!," Honda noted happily.

"Enough talking guys! We got a duel we gotta watch!"

During the conclusion of the duel, a hologram of a two-sided coin appeared above the field and tossed itself up and began falling down while it was turning around endlessly.

"Luck, please don't fail me now...!!," Usagi desperately prayed silently as the coin was about to fall back into its place. "If this fails, I'll end up killing myself like a fool in this game!"

"Give me a chance you damn coin!," Ryuzaki thought angrily.

 ** _*Klink!*_**

The coin has finally landed back to its place and everyone gathered around to see what the outcome of this duel was.

"I-Impossible!," Mai shouted shock.

"No... this can't be!!," Ryuzaki yelled.

"Usagi... she did it!! She got heads!," Jonouchi announced in joy. "The results of this duel have been stated!!"

"Red-Eyes Black Dragon" changed into attack position and had its attack points drop to 0.

"This is it! Let's do this! Go, "Black Magician Girl!!" "Black Burning!!"

"Dammit!!!"

Dinosaur Ryuzaki: LP/0

Winner: Usagi Tsukino

"Way to go, Usagi!," Bakura cheered in delight.

"Woo hoo! You did it, Usagi!," Anzu hollered gleefully. "We all knew you were gonna win!"

"Thank you, my friends. I'm so glad you all kept your promise," Usagi finally said.

"Why wouldn't we? If we didn't then you can't even call us your friends," Honda noted.

"All of us cherish one another ever since the day we became friends, Usagi-Chan," Yugi stated. "We always been together ever since and never lost trust in each other. That's why keeping your promise was something we simply couldn't break. Because you're our friend."

She nodded in response and looked over Ryuzaki you looked dreadful after being defeated. His reputation of being the runner-up of the Japanese Championship could drastically fall due to the loss against Usagi.

"Ryuzaki, it's time to pay up your bet," she informed.

"Yeah, yeah... I know."

He took his best card and star chips and handed them over to Usagi. Ryuzaki then gave a stern look at Jonouchi afterwards.

"You better take good care of this card, Jonouchi! Usagi won it just for you so don't you dare waste it!"

"R-Right! Don't sweat it! A card this rare is definitely something I'll take care of!," Jonouchi stuttered.

Ryuzaki then slumped back into the chair as he kept hearing Mai yelling at him non-stop for losing. Usagi felt kinda bad for him so she gave him a tap on his shoulder.

"It was fun dueling you, Ryuzaki! Duelists like you is the reason why I never stop dueling!"

"R-Really?"

"Yeah! I may not see you here in the tournament anymore but I hope I will get to duel you again someday!"

"Hmph. I guess same goes for you too," he replied as he formed a small smile.

She smiled back happily till she turned over to Mai who suddenly stopped yapping to her servant.

"Mai Kujaku! I'll be waiting for your challenge soon enough! I already have ten star chips with me which qualifies me as a finalist to enter the castle. I will be waiting for you."

"We'll see," Mai responded vaguely.

As what we have seen, Usagi had prevail in her duel against runner-up of the Japanese Championship, Dinosaur Ryuzaki. She's the first duelist out of all the other participants in the island to have collected all ten star chips to gain access to Pegasus's castle. Till then, Usagi will continue following Yugi and his friends until both Yugi and Jonouchi earn their ten star chips as well. The sun has finally disappeared into the dark as the moon arises upon the island. There awaits a mysterious duelist in the forest area, waiting for its next victim to duel. Who could they be? What will they possibly plan to do with the unlucky duelist?


	18. The Unforgettable Night

***8:02pm***

It's been twelve hours into dueling and darkness has fallen into the forest where our heros were roaming. The night looked spectacular from above as the stars twinkled and the moon illuminates its vivid light below the island. The forest, however, didn't seem as marvelous as the sky but rather quite frightening. Trees around there were almost pitch black and barely visible but since it was a luminous night, duelists were still able to follow the paths of dirt to find a good place to camp. Unbeknownst to them, they weren't going to sleep peacefully. There was several secret eliminators hired by Pegasus to hunt down duelists during the night so that there would only be a few left by tomorrow morning. These eliminators weren't just going to let their victims flee if they lose a duel. They had a plan to deal with them in a brutal way.

 **" _Fu Fu Fu... prepare yourselves, duelists! None of you will sleep safely tonight!!"_**

From a fair distance, Yugi and the gang were resting in an area with a wide open space as well as trees and bushes surrounding them just like the rest of the forest.

"I'm hungryyy...!!," Jonouchi whined as he leaned against a tree trunk with his arms crossed on the head. "What time is it anyway?

"Hm. Just around eight o'clock," Bakura confirmed after he checked his watch.

"My, time can go pretty quick, huh?," Usagi noted. "I'm actually wondering how far we are in the forest right now."

"Yeah, I can't really tell," Yugi replied.

"We could be pretty far. I mean, we haven't seen any other duelists around here for a while," Honda answered while leaning against the tree with Jonouchi.

"Well duh! There ain't other guys who'd duel when it's dark out... hey, I'm still hungry!," Jonouchi responded unnervingly.

Jonouchi suddenly then couldn't resist the hunger for food and growled angrily. He threw a fist up into the air like a spoiled brat.

"Shit, man! I want some freaking food!!"

"I would like some potato chips instead of star chips to be honest...," Yugi added.

"*Sigh* I know we haven't eaten for hours but please stay calm, Jonouchi," Usagi stated. "The thing is, I don't even know if we'll get anything to eat by tomorrow. I would love to have a nice shower though."

"Yeah, no kidding," Anzu added, feeling exhausted from all the walking they had done. "A shower would be a great way to relax ourselves. Unfortunately, I probably wouldn't feel as relaxed with an empty stomach. I thought this island would be a little nicer like a resort... but it really sucks!"

"Grr! Screw this crap! I'm gonna eat this mushroom! Right here! Right now!," Jonouchi finally shouted as he reached for a small mushroom growing on the dry grass.

"Hey, don't do it Jonouchi!," Yugi ordered.

"You don't even if it's poisonous!," Bakura stated. "Leave that mushroom alone!"

"Geez what a crowd. You all seem so hungry."

Everyone stopped talking and turned around to see who was speaking behind them. Again, it was Mai Kujaku. What did she want this time?

"Ack! Mai Kujaku!!," Jonouchi shrieked as he threw the poor little mushroom on the ground. "What are you doing here!?"

"Hm. Nothing. Just came to see what was up," she answered, taking a bite on a chocolate bar in front of the starving gang.

 ** _*Munch! Munch!*_**

The gang were drooling over the delicious chocolate bar because, why not? It's been eight hours since they even got to bite on something good which was Ryota's cooked fish. Usagi was lucky to have gotten twice the amount of fish than the rest of her friends since Ryota had a soft side for her. Though, Usagi thought it was a little unfair for her friends to eat less than her but at least they all had something to munch on.

"Mai Kujaku! What the hell are you here for!?," Jonouchi yelled, waiting for an immediate response.

"This choconuts bar is really good! How 'bout it, Jonouchi? Trade you this yummy bar for your star chips!"

"Like hell I'd give them to you! These star chips are like my life!"

"Heehee! I'm just joking! Hey, if I really was that much of a low-life duelist, I wouldn't have made you guys my enemies in the first place!"

"Tch! Don't fuck with me...!," Jonouchi grunted in his mind.

"Don't give that starving expression like if you're about to bite me!"

"Who would!? Smart-ass bitch..."

"That's enough, Jonouchi. I would like to see what Mai has to say to us," Usagi stated, patting on Jou's back softly.

"Grr... fine."

"Thank you very much, Usagi. How about this? Why don't we call it a truce for tonight?," Mai suggested in a friendly way. "All of us are duelists, right? We need to take it easy once in a while!"

"Hah?"

"That's true! We're all tired from dueling all day!," Yugi noted.

"This doesn't feel right... I don't trust this woman!," Jonouchi thought.

"So you guys want something to eat? I have all sorts of stuff! If we can get a fire going we can cook something too!"

Mai opened up her bag and dumped all her snacks onto the ground which scattered everywhere. Curry mix, candy bars, potato chips, you name it! She also had plenty of resourceful things as well aside food like a tent, a lantern, and many other things. Mai had everything that was needed for a camping trip!

"Wow! Awesome!," Jonouchi blurted out without noticing how loud his voice.

"Food... a lantern... she has everything!," Honda remarked.

"You brought all of this yourself?," Anzu asked.

"Well, all duelists here are strangers you can't trust, so it makes sense to bring this much!," Mai replied. "Alright boys! The cooking is all your job!"

"M'kay! Let's get to work!," Yugi announced.

"Okay! You can leave the cooking to me! I'm pretty good at it!," Bakura insisted as he took the curry mix and a few other cooking supplies.

"Very good. And you two, go fetch us some water!," Mai ordered, pointing at Jonouchi and Honda.

"Why da hell do we gotta take orders from this chick?!"

"Dumbass! We're getting food out of it! Just suck it up for now, Jou!," Honda scolded.

As the two teenagers were off to get some water, Bakura was unwrapping the food and opening the curry mix to cook in the pot. Yugi was building the campfire and getting it ready to set it on fire. Both of them kept exchanging exciting looks and talked about how fun this was going to be.

"Yugi... I've only heard rumors about him... but he's a different person compared to this afternoon...!," Mai uttered.

"Hmph! The same goes for you too, Mai! Why are you suddenly being so nice to us?," Anzu wondered. "You should know that I still haven't forgotten about those insults you threw at me during Usagi's duel."

"What? Don't tell me those puny insults actually got you."

"Not at all!"

"Good. Oh, just to make it up to you, I'm sorry for what I've said. I shouldn't have go on ranting to you like that. Of course, I don't expect you to forgive me."

Anzu didn't seemed bothered as much as before after Mai said sorry. Actually, she was more surprised that she actually came to hangout with them for a while. Why?

 _"No... the only one most surprised of these twerps... is me. I don't get it... Almost naturally they accepted me into their little group. It's strange_. _I've always been alone up till now..._ "

"Mai... is something wrong?," Usagi asked.

"Hm? No, not really. Hey, Usagi, how come you decided to hang out with these guys? They seem like a strange bunch."

"How come...? Well, the main reason I came to the tournament was to make my mother happy for once. I've been living in a world of loneliness for almost my entire life... but I was the one who chose that path," Usagi explained. "When I first met Yugi, he was probably the brightest person I've ever met. He accepted me to his group my friends and they've been so kind to me ever since. I... finally had friends. I hang out with them because we're friends!"

Mai eyes widened a little. She couldn't believe that this whole time, she was around someone sharing the same sadness as her.

"I see... well, as soon as those two boys come back with the water, you guys can take a shower," Mai stated. "There's a shower head and private tent right there."

"Really! Thank you so much!!," both Anzu and Usagi said gleefully.

"There are only some things only women understand!"

"You can go first, Usagi. I'll wait after you finish," Anzu noted.

"Oh, thanks. I promise I won't take long!," Usagi responded.

Mai helped Usagi set up the shower head and pour in the water for the shower. After they finished, Usagi walked in and closed the curtains behind her while Mai walked over to guard it from the boys.

"Alright! Absolutely none of you guys can trespass this area! Or else there will be no dinner!!," she yelled.

"Suck it up... suck it up...," Jonouchi reminded himself.

In the shower, Usagi was beginning to take off her clothes and had many thoughts go through her mind. The night was chilly so she tried to hurry up but those thoughts kept stopping her.

"At first... I thought Mai would try to avoid us after I won against Ryuzaki. She looked so annoyed... but... now she came to help us out? Hmph. Every duelist here seems like they have a split personality... like Yugi and Yami," she thought. "But... those eyes... when I saw them... they were filled with sadness. I don't understand why Mai would feel sad. She's the type of person who wouldn't let her emotions bother her but how come I felt... a miserable aura from her? I... don't know."

 ***8:34pm***

"Woah! That looks great!! It should be done by now!," Honda pointed out. "Damn, it smells good!"

The curry had finally been professionally cooked by Bakura. The steam smelled terrific as it was being poured into small bowls for everyone. Nobody expected to be eating gourmet food for dinner in an indigent island.

"Bon appetit!," Anzu announced happily.

"This tastes amazing! You're one awesome cook, Bakura!," Jonouchi complimented with curry stuffed in his mouth.

"Hehe! Thanks!," Bakura answered back with a smile.

"Better eat up, you'll need it for when the duels start up again in the morning!," Mai informed.

"Yes ma'am!," Honda replied.

"The hell Honda, you're not a duelist!"

"Hehehe!"

"Hey, Usagi! Are you done yet? I've saved some curry for you!," Anzu asked as got up from the tree trunk she was sitting on.

"Yeah, I am! I'm wrapping myself with the towel and I'm about to step out."

All the boys turned to the shower's direction to get a glimpse of the beautiful Usagi but Anzu and Mai marched their way there gave them all death stares.

"I said no looking!!," Mai shouted.

"Huh? I-I wasn't looking! Something just got in my eye, that's all!," Jonouchi scampered nervously.

"Then please be a good boy and look at the opposite direction!"

Anzu followed Usagi to the tent to make sure none of the boys would stare at her. Later, she came back with them and continued eating the delicious curry with her friends and Mai. It was quiet for a minute or so but eventually Yugi broke the silence between them.

"You already have eight star chips Mai, so you might be the second one to reach the castle tomorrow besides Usagi!," Yugi stated in a gleeful manner.

Mai kept eating and ignored Yugi's bright attitude.

"But eventually... I could possibly fight you too, Yugi!," she remarked strictly.

"Hey... forget the dueling for now...," Anzu kindly insisted.

"Nope."

"But we called a truce for now...," Honda stated.

"In the morning, everyone's an enemy! That's what it means to be a duelist!"

She got up without a word began heading towards the tent.

"Thanks for the food. I'm gonna head back to my tent now. Anzu, it's your turn to take a shower."

"Oh yeah! I should better get going now then."

"Don't worry about these guys, Anzu. You can tell me if they've been trying to peek on you so that I can beat the crap out of them."

"Uh... sure. I will."

With that, Mai left and Anzu prepared her shower while the boys simply sat down and continued eating their curry.

"Geez, what an annoying girl!," Jonouchi muttered.

 ***9:19pm***

As time passed by for our duelists, everyone had fallen asleep and cleaned up the area where they did the fire. The boys slept outside, laying on the dry grass with their heads resting on their bags because obviously they didn't bring pillows with them since they didn't know this was gonna happen. At least none of them felt bothered and were only glad they were able to eat something good for once in this tournament. Meanwhile, the girls were hanging out in the tents. Anzu had her own tent since she felt too tired for a chat and slept instead. Mai and Usagi were chatting in the other tent for a while and were having fun.

During their chat, Mai offered one of her white tube top outfits she'd brought for the trip. Usagi tried to refuse the offer but Mai simply couldn't take no as an answer.

"You look so pretty, Usagi! My outfit fits perfectly for you!," Mai chirped.

"Thank you... but... don't you think it looks a little too relieving?"

"Not at all! Especially with your hair down, it's just perfect!"

"I guess... the thing is I'm not used to these kinds of clothes."

"Then it's a good thing to try something new, right?"

"Well, you do have a point."

After talking about girly stuff for a bit, Mai began telling her story about her life as a duelist. A path of gaining popularity and never making friends along the way. Usagi somehow noticed how similar she and Mai were as she was talking.

 ***9:31pm***

"So you've always been working with cards, Mai?," Usagi wondered in their conversation.

"...See... I was a casino dealer on a cruise ship that traveled the world! Everyday there would be rich opponents with experience and cards! All the time were countless men coming trying to make a quick buck!"

"I see..."

"Every single one of them fell for my aroma card trick! Eventually, I just came to hate people! All these greedy people only looking for money!"

"Is that really true? I haven't seen much of the world during my life at all. But... is there really that much greed lurking on this world?"

"From my experience... yeah. The reason I came to this island... was to restore my duelist's pride... and my pride as a woman... and also... to find something that used to be important to me way when..."

"When...?"

"It's strange... just looking at you all, for some reason... I keep thinking back..."

"What do keep thinking back about? What do we remind you about?"

Mai scratched her hair and smiled.

"By the way... you have a crush on Yugi, don't you?," she asked out of nowhere.

Usagi turned red and blushed to the question.

"Wh-What does that has to do with anything?!," Usagi stuttered. "I can't answer that—!"

"My woman's intuition is never wrong! Heh, funny thing! I already told him to come to the cliff up ahead! Said that you wanted to talk with him, Usagi!"

"What!?!"

"C'mon! You best better get going! Yugi's been waiting there for quite a while."

"I-I can't go like this! I'm wearing a white tube top with a short skirt and my hair let go! At least give me some time to get my hair ready—!"

"Go! Go! You're probably gonna attract him more with your gorgeous hair!"

"But I—!"

"Stop being so scared and go!"

Usagi then nervously crawled out of the tent and got up with her legs shaking like a frightened child. Mai watched as Usagi began walking towards the cliff where Yugi was waiting for her.

"Usagi!," Mai said unyielding, "No matter what the game is... a woman always has the advantage at night! Hee hee!"

"I don't even like the sound of that!," Usagi thought. "Oh dear... a private chat with Yugi...?! I don't even know what to say!"

When she started to disappear into the woods, Mai went back into the tent and giggled. She was longing to do something like this for quite some time now since she thought Yugi and Usagi belonged with each other.

"Man, I kinda feel bad for making Usagi turn all red. But, c'mon! I had to find some way to get those two closer!"

Being busy with her thoughts, Mai didn't notice the big shadowy figure rising right behind her. Then, all of the sudden, the tent's zipped entrance flew wide open as Mai shrieked looking at the humongous hand holding onto it. An enormous and heavy-looking man in a dark cloak shoved its face into the tent, revealing its horrific face to the horror-stricken Mai.

 ** _"IT'S DUEL TIME..."_**

 ***9:53pm***

Aside from what happened to the unlucky Mai, Yugi was still waiting for Usagi to arrive to see what she needed to tell him in their chat. He was wondering to himself what could Usagi possibly want talk about with him at this time. Obviously, Yugi didn't know this was all planned by Mai.

"I wonder what Usagi-Chan wants to tell me..."

Just then, she finally appeared with a slight blush on her face. Yugi was surprised to see what Usagi had worn and might've had an idea what this conversation could be about.

"U-Usagi...!," he stuttered.

"Huh? Oh, sorry about the clothes and my hair! I didn't have time to dress myself properly—!"

"N-No... that's fine. You... look pretty."

Usagi gave an awkward smile to him and they both sat down on the cliff in silence. It wasn't long till Yugi finally spoke up after two minutes.

"So... what did you want to talk to me about?," he asked in curiosity.

"Oh, um... about our childhood memories," she responded. "I felt like talking to someone about them and I thought you would be the perfect person to chat with."

"Okay... but why do you look so nervous?"

"Me? It's nothing, really! I-It feels cold out here so I—"

"It's alright... I'll call Yami from within my heart, okay? I think he was the one who you wanted to talk with... wait just a sec..."

"...!"

Yugi smiled a little and was about to touch his Millennium Puzzle to bring out the spirit until Usagi stopped him by grabbing his hand. He wasn't sure what she was trying to do but by the look in her eyes, she was demanding him to not call out Yami.

"Don't! I really do want to talk with you, Yugi!," Usagi stated clearly. "I want to know more about you instead..."

"About me? Are... you sure?"

"Yes..."

"...Alright... if you insist."

Yugi placed his hands on the grass and gave another smile to Usagi before he began his story.

"My childhood was practically all about games. As a child, all I would ever do was play games with my grandpa and sometimes my parents. But as I grew older, I started to play those games alone with no one else because I didn't have the courage to make friends in school. Somehow like how you struggled to know people."

"Yeah but at least you were brave enough to school! I would always cry and beg my parents to not ever take me to school. I thought it was scary to see so many people around you everyday till the point you just want to hide from them. I've only been home schooled."

"I can't blame you. You seemed like a really shy person at first but once you met me, you were a whole different person!"

"Hee hee! I guess. I also played plenty of games as a kid too! Games were the only way to cheer me up whenever I'm upset. That's how my love for Duel Monsters grew so big that I became the master female duelist of Juuban."

"Looks like both of us have a love for games, right?"

"Yep! But... Yugi... you love playing games and you have wonderful friends too. I loved playing games... but I never had a friend before... except for Pegasus, that is, if I can even consider him as my friend anymore..."

"...But now you have us, Usagi. I'm actually glad to be friends with someone as kind as you! Maybe after this tournament is over, we can have a duel with each other!"

"D-Duel?!"

"Of course! We'll be playing against each other as friends! We will have so much fun!"

"That sounds exciting! But there's no way I'll be able to beat you, Yugi!"

"That doesn't matter. It isn't if you either win or lose. It's how you play the game. That what makes Duel Monsters the most popular card game in the world!"

Usagi threw her arms around the stunned Yugi and hugged him, feeling so happy to have such an amazing friend. Not only does he care about her, but he shares so many things with her too!

"Thank you. Thank you for accepting me as a friend from the very start if this tournament. I can't thank you enough for changing my life."

Yugi hugged her back.

"No... thank you for willing to become friends with us."

 ** _"EEEYAAAAH!!!"_**

"Wh-Who was that?!," Usagi asked in shock.

"That was Mai's voice!! She's in trouble! We gotta help her!," Yugi declared as both duelists sprinted towards the direction where the voice echoed.

They ran as fast as they could and somewhere in the middle of the forest area of the island they face to face with a battle box where they found Mai handing over all her star chips to a massive guy. Her facial expression was dreadful and disappointing. Could she... had she... lost a duel?

"What's going on here!?," Yugi shouted, receiving a chilling glare of the enormous man in the box.

"Yugi!," Mai yelled in relief.

"Mai, are you okay?! What happened?," Usagi asked in a worried tone.

"This guy... he beat me in a duel... and... I lost all my star chips!!"

"What?!!"

 **"Ho Ho... this one should be easy!,"** the man grunted. **"I have orders from Mr. Pegasus to beat this brat at all costs!!"**

"Yugi! Be careful! This guy's a Player Killer from the island staff that goes around and steal star chips from duelists," Mai alerted.

"Player Killer?!"

 **"Yugi!!,"** the Player Killer called out, taking a step out of the battle box and faced Yugi. At most, he was about seven feet tall. **"I see you brought your girlfriend here too. Heh, but she's no regular girl. She's the master female duelist of Juuban, Usagi Tsukino! And what's this? She already obtained ten star chips? As much as I would love to snatch those star chips from your girlfriend, I gotta follow orders and defeat you, Yugi Muto! I'll defeat you like how I defeated this weak woman!"**

"Mai's... disqualified...!?," Usagi murmured.

"Usagi... as far as this goes... looks like I won't be able to achieve my dream of dueling you...," said Mai sadly.

 **"C'mon, get into the duel box, Yugi!!"**

Yugi was finally fed up with all this bullshit of this Player Killer and transformed back into Yami. He was upset.

 ** _*DON!*_**

 **"Hm?"**

"Don't worry, Mai! I'll beat his fat ass out of here and get back your star chips! I promise you that you will get the chance to duel Usagi! I shall not let you dream die!"

"Yugi...!"

"Trust me! No one's dream should ever die if they haven't been achieved! Your dream shall live until the time has come to accomplish it!"

"Yugi... please be careful...!," Usagi whispered.

"I will, Usagi. As a honor of being a duelist, I will not lose!"


	19. Cards Hidden in the Dark

Yami and the Player Killer had entered the battle box in a slow yet profounding pace as neither of them exchanged a single line of dialogue and only proceeded to walk in silence. Usagi and Mai were outside of the box, not knowing what kind of sinister schemes the Player Killer had for Yami in this uncanny duel.

 ** _*BA...DOOM*_**

They both took a seat and folded their arms, glaring at each other gravely.

 **"Yugi, here's a friendly reminder before we start this duel,"** the Player Killer informed as his grin grew bigger and grimmer. **"Industrial Illusions sent me. But I'm no ordinary Player Killer. You can call me... THE PLAYER KILLER OF DARKNESS!"**

Yami didn't seem frightened by the Player Killer's dramatic and "scary" introduction. He had his mind filling up questions of how exactly this tournament works with its rules and duels.

"What's his game? The rules of the island requires that duelists win star chips from each other... Why did Industrial Illusions hire someone to interfere with the game from outside?"

The Player Killer ignored the duelist's thoughts and continued speaking whether or not if he was listening.

 **"You know how this tournament works, right? Whoever collects ten star chips can gain access to Pegasus's castle and play in the final rounds! But there could only be five finalists!!"**

"Five...? Hold on! There's forty duelists on the island. Each one brought two star chips so there should be eighty star chips in total... If there are five finalists, and each hold ten star chips, that makes fifty star chips... Is the Player Killers' mission to steal the other 30 chips?!," Yami thought attentively. "The thing is... it doesn't add up! Now Usagi's question is starting to kick in. Why would there be an odd number of finalists? The rest of the Player Killers won't get much star chips from the other duelists so, why was the tournament arranged like this?"

 ** _*Grunt*_**

 **"I've taken the lives... I mean, the star chips of eight people tonight alone! But Pegasus' most important command is to take you out, Yugi!!,"** the Player Killer revealed. **"I'm shocked there's a reward on the head of such a little kid! And I'm going to claim it! NEE HEE HEE!!"**

Yami still wasn't frightened at the least but finally knew more about the real purpose of this tournament and why the rules were pretty perplexing.

"Huh... now the rules make more sense to me. It doesn't matter if they're that puzzling, the main reason why this tournament exists was so Pegasus can gain control of Kaiba Corp the moment I lose!"

 **"If I beat you, this event may as well end right now... just between you and me, Pegasus is a pretty stingy guy... He can easily afford to pay the tournament prize money, of course... but if his plan works, he won't need to!"**

 *** _GASP!*_**

"What?! Are we just his guinea pigs!?!," Usagi and Mai thought shockingly.

 **"Just so you know... after I beat you, the plan for us is to crush every last gamer and win this tournament! Industrial Illusions will permit no competition!** **No other masters like you will arise!!"**

Yami chuckled.

"Hmph. You're dreaming if you think you can beat me... Sorry to burst your bubble, but... I won't lose!," he declared confidently. "I'll beat Pegasus with my bare hands... and cards!!"

 **"Fool... you can't beat me! No one defeats my darkness!"**

"I actually wonder how strong his "darkness" is... since he won't stop bragging about it," Usagi muffled.

 ** _*Grunt*_**

 **"Nee hee hee... night falls quickly on this island, doesn't it? But there's no sleep for duelists... as they're in a deep slumber, with their guards down, my darkness creeps in and destroys them! Like that girl... nee hee hee!"**

Mai just gave him an annoyed look but couldn't prove him wrong. It was true that she lost against the Player Killer and had all her star chips taken away, so what's the point of arguing?

"Usagi...," Mai whispered gloomy, "... I lost to the Player Killer... now I'm disqualified... I have to leave the island. My dream of fighting you is over..."

"Mai...!"

 ** _*BAM!*_**

"Don't worry, Mai! I'll get your star chips back from him!," Yami announced.

Her expression didn't change much but those words lightened the sadness covering her eyes. Why would Yugi be doing this for her? Mai said some pretty awful things about his friends but he still helps her after all of that? It didn't make sense to her.

"Yugi... Why would you... For me...?"

Yami turned over to the Player Killer with a stern look.

"Listen up, blockhead! Attacking under cover of night is the act of a coward! You're no duelist as far as I'm concerned!"

 **"Wh-What?! You brat!"**

"You're nothing more than a thief... I'll teach you that a thief can't take the life of a duelist!"

 **"Grr... Why you little...!!"**

Yami ignored the Player Killer's exasperation and continued by taking off the star chips from the wrist of his glove.

"For this duel, I'll bet all six star chips I currently hold. You'll bet the eight star chips you've stolen from Mai! To make up the difference... I bet my life!"

The Player Killer suddenly stopped the irritation growing in him and smudged a huge grin across his horrible face. This somewhat made him feel satisfied with the deal.

 **"Your life? Seems good but excuse me for not believing you... Although, wouldn't be better if I... did this?!"**

 ** _*SNAP!*_**

A wire rope quickly launched out of the Player Killer's gigantic glove and snapped itself around Usagi's neck as she was right outside of the open entrance of the battle box. All she did was stare in disbelief. Yami was shocked.

"What the—?! A wire rope around my neck?!," Usagi muttered.

"You bastard! I said I was betting my life! How dare you drag Usagi into this!," Yami roared in anger.

 **"Oh, I'm sorry, but it just came to me that it's better to have you more concerned in this duel. You seem very confident about winning so your little girlfriend's** **life will be easy to win back.** **"**

"Tsk...!"

 **"My mistake for not informing you about this but Pegasus also had placed an award for Usagi's head. He said that he probably won't be expecting her head to be delivered but the reward was something no person could decline. The price is way more than the prize money given to the winner in this tournament!"**

"Fucking Pegasus...!," Yami thought as he cleched his fist.

 **"One more thing... she's also part of Pegasus' plan... so that means if she loses too, Industrial Illusions will belong to him!"**

"What?!," Usagi blurted out. "Why would I be part of his plan?"

 **"Isn't it obvious? You two were the only duelists on this island to get killed by assassins if you were to lose. Yes, Pegasus did want you to improve your courage and confidence but why'd you think your first duel was difficult with you on the verge of death? You must've did everything you could to win, even if that meant killing your opponent..."**

"Killing...?! No... Usagi you couldn't have...," Mai mumbled.

Usagi glanced at Mai for brief moment then looked back at the Player Killer. She gave a small sigh as she let go of the wire rope around her neck.

"You're not wrong about the assassin being killed... However, I would never go that far just to win a game. Winning requires you to have the skills and the courage that'll lead you to the path of victory. I've learned that along the way of the duels I've came across in this tournament. Even if I'm close to dying, I'm not afraid anymore!"

 **"Hee hee... so you're telling me that you believe Yugi will win? You're underestimating my darkness!"**

"That doesn't matter! I can clearly see the overconfidence smeared on your face and let me tell you this, that will be the reason of your downfall in this duel!"

 **"Hmph... you sure do talk a lot for someone who stayed alone for a long time. How about this? I'll take off the wire rope off your neck and get Yugi instead so that you won't have to worry about risking your life but you will be known as the weakling of all duelists. Or do you wish to give up your life to some kid knowing that he stands no chance against my darkness? You'll end up giving up your life for nothing. In addition, I'll give you two extra star chips if you agree!"**

"Do I really need to repeat myself again? Or are you just deaf?," Usagi scoffed.

 **"Grr! What did just say—!?"**

"You heard me! I'm willing to risk my life! If there's anyone who'll defeat you, it has to be Yugi!"

Yami smiled at Usagi for making the right choice. With her life on the line, he must do everything it takes to save her. Mai, however, wasn't sure why they were risking so much just to get her star chips back.

"Mai... believe in Yugi! I know for sure you will be able to duel me once he gets your star chips back!," Usagi stated clearly. "Believe me, I really am looking forward to our duel."

"Usagi... you're risking your life... and Yugi... you're risking all your star chips... why... would you two go that far... for me?," Mai questioned.

"No duelist deserves to let their dreams die, Mai. You truly have remarkable skills for a duelist meaning you're worthy of achieving that dream," Yami noted. "If that's what you want, then make it come true!"

"You guys..."

 **"Nee hee hee... then it's settled. If somehow** **Yugi manages to win, I'll give back the eight star chips and an additional two star chips for the lady."**

"Huh, don't think that's all you'll bet. If you lose, you have to play a Penalty Game!," Yami stated.

 **"Interesting. Fine, I'll play your game. Heh, but don't forget. If I win, I will take away your star chips and choke your princess to death... maybe twice to get my two star chips worth!"**

"Duel!," they both proclaimed at once.

Both duelists drew their cards and began the duel with each of them holding five cards. It was the Player Killer's turn.

"...I don't care about myself... but you must beat him, Yugi! Both you and Usagi's pride as a duelist is on the line!," Mai thought worriedly.

"Go get him, Yugi!," Usagi cheered.

 **"Well well... you're pretty popular, huh kid? You've got yourself a little crowd to cheer for you? But I've got a friend too... THE DARKNESS ITSELF!"**

"Hm?"

 **"My first card is... "Castle of Dark Illusions!!"**

Castle of Dark Illusions: ATK/1200 DEF/2500

Level: ???

As the card was played onto the field, and enormous, shadowy castle was floating above the table, hovering the entire field with its dark aura. Shadows were spreading everywhere in such a quick pace!

 ** _*S-S-S-S*_**

"Wh-What is that?! That ominous castle... hovering over the game field!," Yami wondered in surprise.

 **"Nee hee hee... the darkness is gathering!"**

 ** _*D-D!!*_**

"What!?"

 **"Darkness... yami... the primal darkness that existed before the world! And my castle has the power to bring it back!!"**

 ** _*HWOOO~*_**

"It's covering his whole side of the field! I can't see his cards... I can't see him either!"

"Watch out, Yugi! That's what he used to defeat my Harpies!," Mai shouted.

"Tch...!"

 **"Nee hee hee... too bad, Yugi... your monsters can't get any field power bonus at night! But my dark cards receive infinite strength! Now play a card! Any card! The darkness will bury you!"**

"Hm... I better be cautious. I don't know what he's planning to do with the darkness," Yami thought. "I'll play "Celtic Guardian" in defense mode!"

Celtic Guardian: ATK/1400 DEF/1200

Level: 6

 **"Very well... Then I attack with this card!"**

"Damn it... what could the monster be? I can't see anything!"

 ** _*G-G-G-G-G-G*_**

 **"Dark Absolute!" Your guardian is killed!! HEHAHAHA!!"**

???: ATK/??? DEF/???

Level: ???

"Celtic Guardian" was engulfed by the darkness within a few seconds. The unknown card easily defeated Yami's monster with a single blow without having to reveal itself to do so. It's all because of that depraved castle. What kind of power does it truly hold?

"That can't be possible! The monster didn't show up at all! It's like the darkness attacked instead!," Usagi noted in a shocking way.

"His technique is so dirty...!," Mai shouted.

 **"UHAHAHA! NOW DO YOU SEE? THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO!,"** the Player Killer called out, his voice raising higher and louder by every shout.

Yami paid no attention to his loud, startling voice and only focused on the game. It's going to be an issue with that castle since the opponent's cards aren't visble and it's gonna be difficult to determine if the Player Killer played a magic or monster card.

"The obvious way to erase the darkness is to get rid of his "Castle of Dark Illusions." But I don't have a card that can break through its fortress with its outstanding defense! Now... what shall I do...?"

The Player Killer chuckled to see his opponent taking his time to figure out what to do in their turn. This meant Yugi was already struggling with his strategy.

 **"C'mon, Yugi! Play a card!"**

"There must be a way to beat it!," Yami thought as he drew a card from his deck. "I play the "Winged Dragon" in defense position!"

Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress: ATK/1400 DEF/1200

Level: 5

 ** _*S-S-S-S*_**

 **"On my turn, I won't attack... instead, I'll play another monster in the dark!"**

"So he summoned another... but I obviously can't see it. All what I can see of the the two mysterious creatures is its gleaming eyes..."

 **"Blind and helpless! That's you,** **Yugi! My predators have a strong urge to tear your worthless monster apart."**

The Player Killer kept giggling mischievously in the dark as if there was no way Yugi could have thought of anything to destroy his great castle. Yami, nevertheless, had thought of a way to see those hidden monsters but in a risky way.

"Maybe there's another way to get some light to shine through the dark... I'm not sure if it'll work... but I have no other choice!," he shouted in his head. "Go my "Winged Dragon!" Attack!!"

 ** _*BOM! BOM! BOM!*_**

The dragon let out a huge flaming ball out of its mouth towards the darkness. The attack had sparks coming out of the flames, creating lucid light which made it possible to get a glimpse of the unrevealed monsters. Yami's sharp crimson eyes were able to spot them in a matter of seconds.

"Hm...! I know it was only for a few seconds but I've discovered the enemy!"

 **"HAHAHAHA!! WHAT GOOD DID THAT DO FOR YOU? YOU MAY HAVE SEEN MY MONSTERS BUT YOU CAN'T LIGHT UP THE DARKNESS AND ATTACK MY BEASTS AT THE SAME TIME!!"**

"He's right... I can't aim what I can't see...," Yami thought cautiously. "The fireball did help me see the monsters hidden within the dark but it quickly goes out and the darkness still remains."

 **"DARK ABSOLUTE! YOUR DRAGON IS BLASTED APART!!"**

 *** _SHWOOOO!*_**

Yugi Muto: LP/1600

 **"YOU'RE AS GOOD AS DEAD, YUGI!! THE DARK IS MY HOME. AS LONG AS I HAVE IT ON THE FIELD, I'M INVINCIBLE!!"**

The Player Killer shot a vicious look at Usagi but although she couldn't see it, she felt his terrifying eyes looking upon her.

 **"Foolish girl... you have no chance of surviving thanks to your boyfriend. HA! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU EVEN THOUGHT HE COULD WIN! YOU'RE SO DAMN CLUELESS!! HAHAHAHA!!"**

"Tsk... why won't he ever shut up?!," Usagi murmured bitterly. "He's pissing me off!"

His laughing kept going and going like a clown but he eventually stopped as soon as he heard Yugi chuckle out of nowhere.

"Heh heh..."

 **"Hm? What's he laughing about?,"** the Player Killer wondered in his mind.

"You may be happy now, but you can't possibly stay in the dark forever... even though it covers your evil face... Too bad for me... I'll have to see it again when I shut down your little game!"

 **"Huh?!"**

"I found... a way to beat your darkness!"

 **"What!?"**

 ** _*FWP!*_**

Yami drew a card for his turn with a brave smile that really triggered the Player Killer. Was he not that terrifying to him? Or was he the one getting scared this time?

"This card is the key! You life will end in five turns!"

 **"Th-This can't be...!"**

 ** _*BA DOOM!*_**

"Prepare yourself, Player Killer! You'll experience the true darkness you wish you've never knew!"

Could this true? Did Yami already knew how to defeat the nefarious darkness just by drawing the one card he hold? After getting a quick glimpse of those monsters, his plan had been formed in his clever mind. Usagi had no doubts about his prediction; Yami was going to win within the next five turns.

"Yami... I believe in you!"

 **"UAHAHAHA!! DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH! You better consider your situation before you open your big mouth!,"** the Player Killer shouted. **"As long as I have the power of the dark by my side, you can't wish to even land an attack on my monsters!"**

"Heh... no true duelist gives up when their opponent tells them that they'll lose... you at least have a pinch of pride in you... I'll grant you that much!"

 **"Feh!"**

"Then how about this? I'll show you the card that'll end you in this duel!"

 **"Wh-What?! He's gonna show me his card...!? Has he lost his mind!?"**

 ** _*TADA!*_**

"Behold! The card that will shall defeat you! "Swords of Revealing Light!"

 **"Swords of Revealing Light?!" That card?!"**

Yami smirked.

"These holy swords have the power to block any attacks from my opponent for the next three turns! Even if your monsters try to seek shelter in the darkness again, the swords will find them with their scintillating light! They'll be trapped... unable to fight... your monsters will be destroyed by this card!"

The Player Killer starting freaking out in his thoughts that he couldn't let out a word of his mouth to respond to Yugi's statement.

 **"Huh... This cannot be...! The darkness can't be conquered by a card of that level!"**

"Heh heh... you'll see what I mean in five turns!"

 ** _*FWP*_**

"Let's continue the game, shall we? In my turn, I summon "Curse of Dragon" in defense position!," Yami stated. "And one more thing... I'll play this card facedown. With that, my turn has come to an end..."

Curse of Dragon: ATK/2000 DEF/1500

Level: 5

 **"That facedown card... it has to be "Swords of Revealing Light!"**

"I'm done now... Four more turns 'till you die!"

 **"Grrr... you dare to make a fool out of me?!"**

"I'm surprised that Yugi was confident enough to reveal his card to the Player Killer...," Mai mumbled.

"That's just part of his plan," Usagi added as she gave Mai a small smile. "He's planning to use the card against the darkness like a weapon. But... there's something else he's using to take down the Player Killer... you know what that is...?"

"His voice...! Yugi's words...!"

"Correct. Yugi's planning to use his words like a weapon as well! Talking to the Player Killer is part of his strategy!"

Usagi looked back at Yami and noticed he was looking back at her too. They both nodded to each other.

"Mai, I will get your star chips back! And... Usagi... I'll save you at all costs!," he declared valiantly in his thoughts.

 **"Enough talking! It's my turn now!,"** the Player Killer announced, drawing his card in slight frustration. **"NEE HEE HEE! YUGI, YOU IDIOT! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE SHOWED ME YOUR CARD AND TOLD ME YOUR STRATEGY YOU'LL USE TO DEFEAT ME! I'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH OPPONENT WHO'D REVEAL SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT IN SUCH AN IDIOTIC WAY!!"**

"...?"

 **"Your so-called "key to victory" is going to the grave with this card! "Reaper of the Cards!" I'm going to take your magic card and destroy it!!"**

Reaper of Cards: ATK/1800 DEF/2000

Effect: Destroys one Magic or Trap card on the field.

Level: 5

 *** _DOOM!*_**

The reaper floated out of the card that was placed on field, wearing a black cloak and had three cards dangling on the chest; its thin hands were grasping on a scythe as it gave a chilling look at Yami. The reaper rushed out of the darkness and raised it's scythe to strike the card.

 ** _*SLASH!*_**

 **"HAHAHA!! MY REAPER HAS DESTROYED YOUR TRUMP CARD! GONE! GONE—HUH?!"**

"Heh heh...," Yami chuckled.

 **"GRR... that laugh again...!"**

Yami shook his head and kept chuckling.

"I said the swords were the key to my victory... I never said anything about playing it on the board..."

 ** _*!!!*_** **"**

 **"Wh-Why isn't my reaper doing anything?!"**

"That's because the card I played was..."

 ** _*FLIP*_**

Spellbinding Circle!" A trap card!"

Spellbinding Circle: Trap Card

Effect: A monster equipped with this card loses 700 ATK.

 **"ARGH! A TRAP!?"**

A hexagram appeared onto the field and locked itself with the reaper. It was unable to move and its attack lowered down.

"Way to go, Yugi! Now you don't have to worry about you magic cards getting destroyed!," Usagi cheered.

"That was pretty clever of him... not gonna lie," said Mai with astonished eyes. "His tricks work perfectly...!"

The Player Killer grew furious and gritted his teeth. Not only did he fell for the trap but he failed in destroying the one card that'll end him!

 **"Y-YOU TRICKED ME!?!? I'M GONNA MAKE YOU REGRET THAT YOU SON OF A BITCH!!"**

"Heh heh... it was all thanks to your foolishness. Too bad that's all you can do in your turn. Now it's **my** turn!," Yami proclaimed. "I'll place this card on the board... for real this time!"

Yami placed the "Swords of Revealing Light" facedown after he showed it to the Player Killer for the last time. It was like if his confidence kept growing and growing by each passing turn. His determination was incomprehensible!

"And before I end my turn... I place another magic card facedown!"

 **"...He played two magic cards...! But what kind of cards are they!? Don't tell me—"**

 ** _*Gulp!*_**

 **"But kind of cards are they?!"**

"Hm. Don't you see it, Player Killer?"

 **"Huh?! See what?!"**

"The rope around your neck..."

 **"HA! You fool! Your girlfriend's the one with rope! That's her!"**

"Heh heh... don't you realize? You're climbing the steps to the gallows! One step at time... into the darkness... One step for each turn...! Three turns left!"

 ** _*TM! TM! TM!*_**

The Player Killer had chills going down his spine after that blood-curdling vision suddenly showed up in his mind. He had a rope around his neck and slowly walked up the hollowed stairs, feeling nothing but fear and pain engulfing his soul, every step that took him closer to death.

 **"That vision...! So lifelike! Like I was there...!"**

"Hmph. Is that fear I feel coming out of you...?," Usagi wondered. "My, your fears are truly getting to you. Heh... is your own home threatening you?"

 **"...!!"**

"The dark abyss is waiting for you... to join them... where you'll die with your fears still haunting your poor soul. A nightmare you can't escape... Your screams for help won't be heard... because you're already dead...," she continued, "Darkness is a mirror that reflects your own fears right back at you... fears that swallows those with weak hearts... like you...!"

 **"Listen you brat! The next time you open your mouth I'm gonna choke you 'till your neck cuts off! And for you, Yugi, I'm gonna twist your head off!"**

"It's your turn...," both Usagi and Yami stated quietly yet dangerously.

 **"GRR... I'LL KILL BOTH OF THEM!!,"** the Player Killer thought angrily.

Mai stood in disbelief to see how both duelists were working together to overwhelm the Player Killer with threats. Was this how they'll defeat him? By collaborating with each other?

"I see now... Yugi's and Usagi's threats have put him off balance! He's winning by talking! No—they're winning by talking! With Yugi risking his star chips and Usagi risking her own life... those two kiddos have incredible self-confidence...!"

Back to the duel, Yami's turn was over. The Player Killer tried shrugging off the threats so he wouldn't get distracted by them.

"Draw a card, blockhead!," Yami insulted.

 **"Feh..."**

 ** _*FWP*_**

 **"Nee hee hee! UHAHAHAHA!! YES! MY ULTIMATE CARD!! COME FORTH, GREAT DARK RULER!!"**

King of Yamimakai: ATK/2600 DEF/2300

Level: 7

 ** _*HSSAA*_**

"The King of Yamimakai--" Lord of the Dark World!" Although I can't see it, I can sense it's violent aura coming out of the dark fortress... It's attack must be very high!"

 **"UHAHAHAHA!! THAT'S THE CARD THAT GOING TO KILL YOU!!,"** he shouted. **"Too bad for you, Yugi! This battle will end before you can play your trump card! "King of Yamimakai!" Obliterate Yugi's monster!! "EVIL SHOCKWAVE!!"**

 ** _*GWOOO!*_**

 **"YES! DIE!!"**

"It's fine to attack... but you should have paid more attention to the battle positions of the monsters!," Yami stated.

 **"WHAT!? Wait... no... NO THIS CAN'T BE!!"**

The dragon that was originally targeted for the attack had hidden itself behind the hexagram with the reaper and the shockwave ended up killing the locked reaper instead.

 ** _*SHAGOOM!!!*_**

 **"H-HE USED MY REAPER AS SHIELD...!,"** he thought nervously. **"Guh... he played the "Spell Binding Circle" to lure me into attacking my own monster! Was he thinking ahead!?"**

Player Killer: LP/1200

"Heh heh... my monster is unharmed! And now... it's my turn!"

Yami reached for one of his facedown cards and flipped over the one on the right.

"Here's my trump card! "Swords of Light," activate!!"

 ** _*SHEEAW!*_**

Several swords emerged from the card and were dangling above the darkness, greatly illuminating the battle box from inside. The Player Killer was so shocked that he couldn't identify what those swords were.

 **"WHAT?! NO! WHAT IS THAT... HANGING IN THE AIR?!"**

"...The one card that will end you and bring this battle to a conclusion!! Your darkness will be no more!!"


	20. Incidents in the Tournament

The game continues with Yami having the upper hand after his trump card has been activated. The Player Killer's monsters were no longer hidden within the darkness that was conquering his side of the field. The monsters were revealed to both the duelist and the people observing the duel from outside of the battle box. There's no way they'll be able to find shelter again as long as the brimming swords of light have them captured like a bird in a cage. Two more turns left till' the Player Killer dies.

"Heh, now that you no longer have the darkness for power, your monsters are clearly visible to everyone!," Yami remarked with a smirk. "I'm sorry for everybody who has to look at your ugly monsters but it's the only way to beat you! Just two more turns and you're dead!"

 **"Grr... this is no good! By the next turn, Yugi will surely attack my helpless monsters now that they've been discovered. But the only monster he controls right now is that dragon...,"** the Player thought attentively, **"...and I have three monsters! Even though they're trapped in those swords, they are all powerful cards! If all he has is that lowly "Curse of Dragon," he'll end up killing himself when the moment he attacks my dark monsters! Teh! Two more turns till' I die, don't make me laugh, kid!!"**

Yami kept smirking mischievously at the Player Killer to show him that he doesn't care what kind of schemes he already planned.

"Hurry up! It's your move! Draw a card!"

 **"Feh... Even with my monsters, I can't let my guard down! There's a good chance Yugi can summon a more powerful monster by his next turn and take down my dark beasts easily..."**

 ** _*FWP!*_**

 **"Hm?** **NEE HEE HEE! THE CARDS ARE SMILING AT ME TODAY!! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO TOUCH ME FOR TWO TURNS! "YELLOW LUSTER SHIELD," ACTIVATE!!"**

Yellow Luster Shield: Magic Card

Effect: Increase all your monsters defense.

"Wait a minute–I recognize that card!," Usagi stated, pointing at the card.

 **"Heh... looks familiar, doesn't it? Wasn't this the card my brother used against you back in your duel?"**

"Brother?! Wait–you mean that was your brother who I battled?!"

 **"Heh... close enough. He was actually my step brother. Feh... when I heard he was killed... I was rather furious than depressed. All I can say is that he was a weak assassin. I heard he was this close to killing you and receiving the money for your head but he really had fuck up his strategy and lose. Doku was pathetic."**

"His brother died but all he cares about was the money...?! He's one sick bastard...!," Mai grumbled.

 **"Now it's up to me to get that money for myself! At least I won't be having to share it with anyone except me!!"**

"Hmph. If you think you can attain Usagi's head like that, you're dead wrong! You're not only a coward but also heartless piece of shit who doesn't give a single damn about the only brother you had! After what you have just said, you're going to burn in hell!," Yami shouted angrily. "But don't worry. You're about to see the devil so there's no need for you to rush your death."

 **"Keep telling yourself that but now that I have my magic card activated, the shield of chaos has finally appeared! NEE HEE HEE! THE SHIELD HAS GIVEN MY FORTRESS A BOOST AND MY DEFENSE HAS RISEN INTO AN UNBELIEVABLE POWER!!"**

"Tsk... now all his monster's defense increased and my monster can't possibly take down a single card! Let alone the "Castle of Dark Illusions"...," Yami thought.

The castle was giving power to the cards and since the magic card was played, it's defense kept rising and rising. The barrier was simply too powerful to break into and it'll take up to a miracle in order to destroy it. Yami, however, still believed the Player Killer had two turns left to live.

"Now what will he do...?," Mai wondered with a worried feeling.

"Mai... Yugi has a way to beat the fortress," Usagi answered.

"...But how?"

"The Player Killer... helped him... by doing one fatal mistake..."

The Player Killer laughed insanely and threw a dirty look at Yugi. Afterwards, he continued to laugh as if he already knew he won the battle.

 **"NEE HEE HEE! IT'S YOUR MOVE, YUGI! YOU CAN TRY ANYTHING YOU WANT BUT YOU CAN'T BEAT MY MIGHTY BARRIER!"**

"Heh heh... don't you realize you've exposed your own weakness?," Yami questioned.

 **"WHAT?!"**

"I've been analyzing your strategy since the beginning of this duel! You're a weakling who can't do anything without making sure you're safe first!"

 **"YOU DARE TO SAY THAT TO ME, AGAIN?! YOU CALLED ME A WEAKLING!?"**

"Why, of course! You cower in the dark, and if that doesn't work, you use a shield... You may be big but you got no balls! I'm not surprised you beat those duelists... whom you **ambushed** in their beds and forced them to battle! As well as using Usagi to threaten me!"

 **"Why you... I'm going to kill you...!"**

"Then let me tell you this... I calculated that you'd use a shield..."

 **"W-WHAT?!"**

"That's right! So listen to me, moron! You die in two turns! You can't escape your faith!"

 **"Feh...! It'll never happen!"**

"Just wait and see... Yami's never wrong!," Usagi thought happily.

 ** _*FWP!*_**

"It's my turn now! For this turn, I play "Gaia the Fierce Knight!"

Gaia the Fierce Knight: ATK/2300 DEF/2100

Level: 6

"And I'll activate the facedown card I had played just a few turns ago... Namely... "Polymerization!" My two monsters fuse into one!"

Polymerization: Magic Card

Effect: Fuse two or more monsters from your hand or field.

 ** _*TADA!*_**

"Arise "Gaia the Dragon Champion!" With that, my turn has come to an end. On my next turn, Gaia will defeat you!"

The Player Killer stared at the great dragon monster before him and he had nothing to say. His lips didn't move. He simply couldn't understand what Yugi was trying to do to win against him. Is he actually going to lose by the next? Is there a way Yugi can actually win? Or could it be a big bluff to make the Player Killer go insane? Still, it wouldn't make a difference which answer is correct because Yami already had his reply to all of those unanswerable questions.

 **"Tsk... he has to be lying! Even if he fused his two monsters to create a stronger one, his dragon's attack is only 2600... I bet he's just trying scare me!,"** the Player Killer stated in his thoughts. **"It's** **impossible to attack my monsters that are protected by the shield of chaos! But why is he still smiling?! It's just a bluff! That's all! Just a damn bluff! I'll win for sure in my next turn! But just to make sure... I'll power up my defense so my monsters can be positively impossible to touch!"**

 ** _*WSH!*_**

 **"** **It's my turn! I summon "Metal Guardian" in defense mode! Now my monster's defense is perfect! 100% untouchable! UHAHAHA!"**

Metal Guardian: ATK/1500 DEF/2800

Level: 5

Yami shook his head in disappointment and looked at the Player Killer very upsettingly.

"How pathetic...," he sighed, "All you can think about is being safe from attack... You're too weak for words.."

 **"You fool! After I live through your next turn, I'll attack with everything I got!"**

"It's too late. You're caught in my trap."

 **"WHAT?!"**

"Security can be a trap! You haven't noticed...? The more you protect yourself, the more you cut off your escape!"

"You tell him, Yugi!," Usagi cheered.

"It's my turn! The **last** turn!," Yami announced with all the confidence he had. "I play, "Catapult Turtle!"

Catapult Turtle: ATK/1000 DEF/2000

Effect: Offer one monster you control as a tribute to damage your opponent.

Level: 4

 ** _*CLANG!!*_**

"Stage two! I put "Gaia the Dragon Champion" on the catapult to launch him towards my target! In other words--I'm using my monster as a bullet!!"

 ** _*RMMM*_**

 **"W-WHAT!? HE'S SACRIFICING HIS OWN MONSTER?"**

"Heh heh... the speed of the catapult will increase the attack power of "Gaia the Dragon Champion!" This will be a mighty blow!"

The Player Killer laughed at Yugi's ridiculous strategy to take down his powerful barrier. He thought there was absolutely nothing that can destroy his amazing defense.

 **"IT'S NO USE! MY MONSTERS ARE PROTECTED MY "YELLOW LUSTER SHIELD" AND "METAL GUARDIAN!" MY GUARDIAN'S DEFENSE IS WAY MORE THAN ENOUGH TO STOP THE CATAPULT BY ITSELF!"**

"Right. But... I never said that I'd be targeting your monsters..."

 **"HUH?!"**

"My target is... the castle!"

 **"WHAT?! NO WAY! WITH THE SHIELD AROUND IT, ITS DEFENSE IS 3100! NOTHING CAN BREAK THROUGH THAT!,"** the Player Killer shrieked in his mind.

 ** _*KREE KREE KREE*_**

The catapult moved up, pointing straight at the floating castle that's about to break into pieces. It was now or never!

"Here I go! I launch Gaia into the air!"

 ** _*WSHOOM!*_**

"My bullet shall strike down your defense along with your life! Direct hit!"

 ** _*KA-BLAM!!*_**

"Gaia gave his life! This deadly move decreases my life points by half the attack points of the monster that died!"

Yugi Muto: LP/300

 ** _*CRACK!*_**

 **"THE CASTLE...!"**

The exterior part of the castle broke and its pieces begin falling off but the castle still remained floating.

 **"HAHAHAHA! THE CASTLE STILL REMAINS! THAT ATTACK DID YOU NO GOOD EXCEPT MADE YOU LOSE PLENTY OF YOUR LIFE POINTS!"**

Yami didn't seem scared or disappointed after his attack failed. Was there a purpose for risking that move?

 **"MY TURN! AND I CAN ATTACK... BECAUSE AT THIS MOMENT, THE "SWORDS OF REVEALING LIGHT" DISAPPEAR! DIE, YUGI! DIE!"**

"Heh heh..."

 **"GRR... WHAT IS IT THIS TIME?!"**

"Idiot. Don't you realize... why your castle is still floating even though its floatation ring was destroyed?

 **"HUH!?"**

"There's a reason why I played the "Swords of Revealing Light." Not only to see your ugly cards..."

 **"TH-THAT CAN'T BE! D-DOES HE MEAN THE SWORDS WERE THE ONES KEEPING THE CASTLE FLOATING?!,"** the Player Killer thought worriedly. **"IF SO... THEN THE MOMENT THE SWORDS VANISH—!"**

 ** _*SHHH*_**

 **"THEY'RE VANISHING! A-AND... THE CASTLE IS FALLING! RUN MY MONSTERS!!"**

"They can't. Your "Yellow Luster Shield" is keeping them in."

 **"OH NO!!!"**

 ** _*GYAAGGH—SMASH!*_**

The castle had fallen above its monsters and every one of them had been fatally crushed in such a brutal way. The darkness was no more.

 **"I... LOST...?!"**

Player Killer: LP/0

Winner: Yugi Muto

"I hope you're ready... Player Killer! **Penalty Game!** "

 **"AGGH!"**

His life flashed before his eyes and before he knew it, he had found himself walking up in a hollowed stair case, every step carrying him to his death.

 ** _*TM TM TM*_**

 **"NOT ME...!"**

In his final step, the Player Killer had a rope around his neck and a trap door right beneath his feet. To his horror, he found his step brother hanged right in front of him.

 **"I... CAN'T!—"**

Like that, the trap door opened and he fell into a abyss of darkness following with his death.

 ** _*GWOOO!*_**

 **"GYAAHHHH!!"**

Yami stood up from his chair and took the ten star chips he deserved. Looking back at the possessed "duelist," he helped Usagi remove the wire rope around her neck and then gave her the two star chips the Player Killer had promised.

"Yugi... thank you for saving me...," Usagi uttered, giving him a smile of gratitude.

"No... thank you for having trust in me. Not anyone would be brave enough to give their own life for someone else. Plus, I couldn't afford to lose one of my precious friends. Without you, it just wouldn't feel the same," Yami stated in a kind matter before walking up to Mai and giving back her eight star chips.

"Here's your star chips, Mai."

"I... let's just go..."

Yami and Usagi stepped out of the battle box and headed towards their camping spot behind Mai, leaving the Player Killer inside there while he was still freaking out in his illusion. To Usagi's concerns, she was wondering what this Penalty Game was. All she knew about it was that it was used against people with bad hearts and minds but she only knew that because Yami did it to the Player Killer. Usagi wanted to learn more about the mysterious spirit. Though, by every minute they had spent together, she couldn't let go of this strange feeling like she met him somewhere before. The same goes for Yami. One day has passed by and there was yet so much to learn from each other but how could you recognize someone whom you never met before? It was as if... they were destined to meet each other... at the right time.

A couple of minutes after they've left, the Player Killer had survived the horrific illusion and was barely crawling out of the battle box, gasping for air. He really was a helpless person when his true self has been revealed. He was weak without the darkness.

 **"That damn kid... and his stupid girl... once I get better... I'll murder them!!!"**

"Ha! You won't even get to see them again once I'm done with you...!"

The Player Killer slowly turned his head around to see a tall white-haired teenager standing behind a tree with something on his hand. It was Bakura. The Dark Bakura.

 **"Feh... acting all tough and that but I can beat the shit out of you too!"**

"Hehehe... you can't even lift yourself up from the dirt, you puny duelist. Why don't you allow me to help you...?"

It was then the Player Killer realized that the teenager was grasping tightly onto a rope hanging from the tree branch. The rope was leading to his neck where it was tied up. Was Bakura planning to kill him too?!

 **"H-How the hell—when did this rope get around my neck!?"**

"Hm. Not so long ago. While you acting like a retard in the box I had placed the rope on your neck."

 **"B-But how?!"**

"Heh... that's not important. What is really important that you need to go to hell!"

Bakura started to pull on the rope on the branch and dragged the Player Killer by his neck but very slowly.

 **"Ha! You'll need so much more strength if you want to hang someone as heavy as me! You should've planned this ahead!"**

"Hmph. I wanted you to have a slow and painful death but since you want to speed things up, allow me to do so...!"

Bakura let go one of his hands from the rope and began pulling faster and faster with only his right hand. The Player Killer had underestimated his strength and was struggling to free himself from the rope. He tried untying it but was no use.

 **"W-WAIT!! YOU CAN'T DO THIS ME!! SHOW SOME MERCY—!"**

"Mercy is for the weak..."

 ** _*BA... DOOM!*_**

The Player Killer was now hanging up on the tree, with Bakura looking up at him with a far more horrifying smiling as he threw his arms and legs around to get freed. He began choking and not for long, he stopped breathing.

"HAHAHA! There's goes another victim to hell...," Bakura laughed as he tied up the rope he was holding onto the tree. "Heh... serves him right for putting my Usagi in danger. Maybe I should've stabbed him in the chest until his heart was showing but I wouldn't want to make myself too suspicious of the death. He's lucky he didn't get a gory and gruesome death. Hmph... I'll wait until I find someone perfect for that position... It'll be someone who distresses Usagi the most..."

 ***10:28pm***

After the duelists have walked for a while in silence, Yami decided to speak up to Mai about her star chips. She knew they both stopped because she couldn't hear their feet stepping onto the grass anymore.

"Mai... aren't you going to take your star chips back?," he questioned as he held up the eight star chips on the palm of his hand.

"...I can't take those star chips. They belong to both of you... Yugi... and Usagi. I don't deserve them. I lost a battle as a duelist and I have to leave the island. That's the rule of this tournament," Mai confirmed with a small smile. "I deeply appreciate your help but you guys risked so much just to possess those star chips. It was nice meeting you guys..."

Mai began to walk away from Yami and Usagi with a faint sense of gratitude towards their help.

"Wait up, Mai Kujaku!," a voice hollered behind them and caught Mai off guard.

They all turned to see who it was and to their surprise, it was the rest of the gang! All of them looked pretty sleepy so Usagi assumed they barely woken up from their sleep.

"Jonouchi!," said Usagi merrily, "And everyone else is here!"

 ** _*Yawn~*_**

"I woke up after I heard your loud talking...," Jonouchi noted, his eyes blinking several times for not having enough sleep. He looked goofy with his sleep.

"Jonouchi...," Mai thought.

She stared at the group of friends, sharing their positive attitude to one another. Mai couldn't help but smile at the teenagers.

"Hm... I wonder... why you guys always have to gather up like that..."

"Hey, Bakura, what time is it?," Honda asked.

"A little before eleven o'clock," Bakura answered as he checked his watch.

"Then... that means you're still our friend for an hour, Mai Kujaku!"

"...Huh? What do you mean?"

"While we were eating, you said, "We are tomorrow's enemies!" But it's not tomorrow! We're still your friends!"

"...Friends...!

"But Mai... there's people who are preventing us from doing that!," Yami added. "We, duelists, are here to fight fair and square!"

"Pegasus' servant; Player Killer...! I don't recognize them as a duelist. I don't want them to ruin our battle!," Usagi commented.

Mai lowered her head a little with so many thoughts going through her mind. Were they trying to persuade her to stay in the tournament because they accepted her as a friend?

"Mai! Accept these star chips! And let's see who's truly the strongest duelist among us!," Yami declared proudly.

"You must take them, Mai Kujaku! Our battle between you and me still awaits," Usagi stated.

She hesitated.

"Mai... didn't you say... it was your dream to duel Usagi...?," Anzu questioned.

"That is..."

Jonouchi yawned and grunted till he couldn't take anymore of this slow decision. He had a much better idea.

"Geez! How much longer will you take? We aren't getting anywhere!!," he shouted. "Instead, I have a better solution!"

"And that solution is...?," Anzu muttered.

"That is—this!"

He snatched the eight star chips from Yami's opened hand and kept it for himself.

"I'll take these star chips—! That's the solution!"

Everyone stared at Jonouchi for noticing the ridiculous move he just did. He smirked, chuckled, and grinned as he showed the eight star chips he had taken. Mai was getting pissed at his stupid behavior.

"Hahahaha! Now I have ten star chips! I'll be the second person to enter the castle! Hoohoohoo!"

"W-Wait a minute!!," Mai yelled angrily, "I'm not letting you do that Jonouchi! Why the hell are you taking them?!! Give them back—! You—!"

"Okay, geez, here you go," he mumbled as he dropped the star chips on her hand.

"Oh... uh..."

Jonouchi suddenly formed as warm smile on his face.

"Mai Kujaku... if your pride won't forgive you for playing with those star chips... throw them into the ocean! That's your choice. But I won't throw them away! Nor the star... or my dream..."

"Jonouchi..."

He turned away from Mai and waved at his friends as he headed back to their camping spot to get some rest. The rest did the same and followed Jonouchi. The beautiful yet terrifying night went by much slower than the day but the sky was simply too gorgeous to ignore it without complimenting the moon first.

"Yugi... Usagi... I'll borrow these star chips...," Mai confirmed as she placed them on her glove. She then glared at Usagi and finally brought back her confident smile to her face. "Usagi, I have no right to battle you with these stars... but... I'll soon get the right to battle you fair and square!"

"That's the spirit. Then our duel awaits! We'll see who's the better duelist when that time comes!"

"Heh, you bet! Our battle will soon arrive and when it does, we'll both show the true power of our decks! Prepare yourself, Usagi Tsukino!! This will be a duel you won't forget!""

 ***Pegasus's Castle 10:46pm***

As time passed by in the dark, many events took place in the castle without any notice from the participants of the tournament. A report has been spreading around the castle rapidly after one of the bodyguards have reported to have spotted a helicopter flying over the sea of the island. The person in that aircraft was the one who had the most hatred for Pegasus; Seto Kaiba.

Pegasus was in the courtroom with Croquet and the Big 5 who were sitting down on a large court table behind a glass wall. He sensed danger coming to him like a nuclear attack. His plans wouldn't go so well if Kaiba interferes with them so he had to find way a to get rid of him before the helicopter landed on the island. If that happens, taking over Kaiba Corporation would become a far more difficult task to complete.

"So... the report is true...," Pegasus mumbled softly, looking down from his ex-wife, Cecelia, portrait he painted a few years ago.

"Yes! We've received multiple reports of the spotted aircraft but one of the men infiltrated in Kaiba's house contacted us before those reports," Croquet informed.

Pegasus folded his arms and sighed before turning over to his advisor.

"Seto Kaiba had awakened and... is coming to my castle... Oh no~~~! It's an accident!"

"Mr. Pegasus!," one of the members of the Big 5 spoke up, "If that is true, the plan will have to be changed..."

"No!," argued another of the group. "There is no way we can back down now!'

"Shit! That Seto just won't die!," said another.

"Now, now, there's nothing we should worry about—Big 5!," Pegasus stated. "There should be no problems! The second I defeat Yugi, our contract will be fulfilled!"

"And what about this girl you've been talking about that's also part of your plan? What's her part exactly?"

"Oh, you mean Lady Tsukino? Hmph, for now, she's another bait in case Yugi can't be defeated but I doubt she'll lose."

"Then what's her purpose if you know she can't be defeated?"

"You'll see... there's a reason why I specifically chose those cards for her..."

"I see, but besides that, what will you do with Kaiba?," a member asked.

"Don't worry about that kid. He won't be able to land on this island at all... There is something done about it already!"

"Heh heh," the member chuckled, "Please do well, Mr. Pegasus. If he is alive, our lives will be endangered as well!"

"Like I said, don't worry..."

Pegasus proceeded to walk towards the balcony and slowly push open its glass doors to get a view of his perfect island. He wasn't going to let anyone ruin his contract, even if that meant involving someone he truly cares about.

"Seto Kaiba... go back to hell again...," he thought as he stared at the beautiful night sky brimming with stars. "I never wished to see your damn face once more..."

 ***11:07pm***

Just a couple of miles away from Pegasus's island, the helicopter was flying towards there so Kaiba can take action in this plan. Inside of there, Kaiba was sitting down next to the window seat with one of his bodyguards sitting by his right. He was currently checking out his cards from his deck to see if his deck was consisted to defeat Pegasus.

"Death-T... how long has it been since then...," he wondered.

"I believe about a year ago, Master Seto," the bodyguard replied.

"I see... what a year indeed... I think I've almost forgotten how my cards felt..."

"We have been waiting for your recovery for quite a while, Master Seto. Everyday we would check on you if you've gained consciousness."

"Hm. Good."

Kaiba took out a black-jet case he'd been carrying and open it up to take out a folder with paper written by Mokuba.

"All of the events that have occurred while I was gone has been written down on this report... Mokuba has given it to the only servant he trusted...," he said faintly.

"We are also worried for Master Mokuba, sir."

"Yes. Pegasus made a secret agreement with those traitors to get their hands on Kaiba Corp. They also took Mokuba away from me..."

Kaiba clenched his fists and had a pissed off expression forming on his face, though, it was hard to tell because he almost never shows any emotion.

"I will use my own hands to defeat Pegasus!"

He opened up his other case and it contained something that any duelist would dream of having. In the case, there was dozens and dozens of cards lined up perfectly and ready to be used in a duel. Kaiba was a billionaire after all so he could afford any type of cards he desired. What seemed pretty particular was this strange disk-like thing on one side if those cards. Could that be the weapon Kaiba would use to defeat Pegasus?

"One thing, Master Seto... please do not forget about the other enemy in the kingdom... that boy started this whole mess..."

"..."

"Exacting revenge on him is the short-cut to reviving your former reputation... Master Seto!"

"...Revenge..."

From that moment, Kaiba had a flashback when he was battling Yugi back at the Death-T Games; with him controlling three powerful "Blue-Eyes White Dragons." He could still feel the excitement growing intensely by every attack he had done to Yugi until he was destroyed by "Exodia the Forbidden One" right when all he needed was one final blow. His reputation was no longer the same but he never felt so alive in a duel before.

"Just as last time... I don't care that my heart seethes with feelings of revenge... I want to fight him again..."

He took another glance outside the helicopter and noticed the direction of the moon didn't seem right from where they were going.

"Strange... the moon is moving the opposite direction from where we're trying to go!," Kaiba thought attentively. "This helicopter is going around in circles in the sky... Ku... so they're also..."

At the moment he had taken off his eyes from the view, the bodyguard held up a pistol and pointed it on Kaiba's head and snickered.

"So you've noticed... Seto Kaiba!"

"Heh heh... so you guys betrayed me too, huh?"

"Ha! You will die here and become ocean waste! So... you should be ready!"

Kaiba raised both of his arms with his right hand holding up one of his cards.

"I don't want to make cards dirty with blood..."

"Very well! Wise words chosen to be said before death by the prince of cards. NOW DIE! SETO!!"

 ** _*FWSHH!*_**

Kaiba had put his card between the trigger of the pistol right in the nick of time before it blew off a bullet through his head.

"A-A card between the trigger!?!"

The bodyguard then looked up at his master with his hysterical eyes and Kaiba looked back with his cold blue eyes like he was about to murder someone.

"Thanks to you... the rare card is injured!," Kaiba shouted fiercely, snatching the gun from the weak bodyguard and ended up twisting his finger back for taking it too quickly.

 ** _*TWIST!!*_**

"EEAAAYYYY!! MY FINGER!!," he cried in agony.

Kaiba removed his rare card from the trigger and pointed it at both the bodyguard and pilot.

"Both of you! Go drown yourselves in the ocean! I really don't want to make a bloodbath happening right now..."

"U-Understood!!," the pilot scampered.

They jumped out of the pilot at once and fell into the deep ocean where they'll never be seen again by Kaiba nor the world.

"Hahahaha! Die you filthy animals! I hope you two enjoy getting drowned by one another and get eaten alive by fish that live on rich food!"

He then took control of the pilot seat and headed straight for Pegasus's castle. There was so much be had stolen from Kaiba and most of that was his only brother, Mokuba. Pegasus will soon be taught a lesson for fooling around with Kaiba Corp and the Big 5.

"Off to Pegasus's Castle!! Mokuba... I'm coming for you...!"


	21. Pegasus's Strange Yet Deadly Power

***11:19pm***

The night went by very slowly for the remaining duelists on the island. Thankfully for our heroes, they'll finally get their rest after a long day of non-stop dueling. There were a few problems they had to go through during the day but they've been resolved so now there shouldn't be much to worry about until tomorrow. That is, if nothing happens during the night again.

Yugi and his friends were preparing to sleep again after having to go through a little trouble in the forest. Well... it wasn't really a little trouble to be honest. Anyways, Mai, Usagi, and Anzu went back to the tents while the boys had to sleep outside in the dark with the light of the moon shining on their faces through the leaves of the hollow trees above them. Usagi offered to sleep outside with them because she preferred to be overwatched by the moon. Mai kinda hesitated because she thought the boys would do something "unsettling" while Usagi was sleeping but now that she knew them better, she agreed.

"Alright. You can go to sleep outside, Usagi," said Mai as she handed over a sleeping bag to her. "But don't come to me if those boys have been bothering you. It was your decision."

"Yeah, no need to worry, Mai. I doubt they'll do something like that," Usagi responded, unzipping the tent as she took a step outside, "I'll be fine. I'm just hoping that we can finally get some rest without any interruptions."

"Yep! I had enough of handling all sorts of crap today and I don't want to see one of those damn Player Killers entering my tent again. Those fuckers...!"

"Okay, okay, Mai. I understand how you feel. I'll head off now. Make sure you watch over Anzu from the other tent."

"You got it! We're basically sisters now so I won't let anyone hurt you guys!"

Usagi giggled and closed the tent as she got out. She walked towards a bunch of few trees next to the tents to find the boys yelling and screaming. Well, most of the yelling came from Honda who threw what seemed like a vine that had fallen from a tree above them.

"AGH! A SNAKE!!!," he cried in terror.

"Honda! Shut up! I'm trying to get some sleep here ya know!," Jonouchi shouted bitterly as he yanked Honda's blanket to cover himself. "And can you stop keeping the blanket to yourself? I'm freezing too!"

"Um... what's going on here guys?," Usagi asked shyly.

They all looked at Usagi's confused face and quickly gathered their sleeping bags and blankets as if nothing happened, even though she had already seen it.

"Oh—uh nothing! Wh-What are you doing here, Usagi? I thought you were supposed to be sleeping in the tent with Mai and Anzu," Honda noted nervously, trying not to get embarrassed by what just happened.

"Haha! Don't worry, Honda. I promise I won't tell Mai and Anzu about you getting scared by a vine that looked like a snake."

"I-I wasn't scared! I... was just yawning!"

"Feh, I've never heard a yawn that loud before. What was that? Your mating call?," Jonouchi added with a laugh.

"Grr! You're lucky that Usagi's here. Or else I would've—"

"Calm down you guys! We should all be glad that it wasn't a **real** snake," Yugi stated. "Still, we better be careful of our surroundings here."

"Yeah, who knows what other reptiles could be lurking around here," said Bakura in a calm voice.

"Eek! You guys make it sound like it's no big deal!," Honda replied.

"Stop freaking out Honda! Let's go back to sleep and forget what happened," Jonouchi suggested as he fixed his blanket. "Well, goodnight guys!"

Everyone else shrugged it off and began to sleep again. After Usagi had finished up setting her sleeping bag next to Yugi, she tucked herself and closed her eyes to a peaceful dream. Unfortunately, not long after shutting her tired eyes, the gang heard another shriek coming from one of them. This time, it was Bakura.

"EEYAAA!"

"AGH! NOW WHAT IS IT THIS TIME—!," Jonouchi growled.

"Uh... you guys might want to check this out," Bakura murmured.

They got up from where they sleeping and gathered around Bakura to see what he had to show them. Rubbing their eyes from tiredness, they were all certainly surprised to see what was shown before their eyes. The Millennium Ring had its middle needle pointing towards the castle from where they were. Just a couple of miles away.

 ** _*RMM*_**

"AGH! NOT THAT RING AGAIN!!," everyone except Usagi shrieked in fear.

"I-I wonder what it could mean...? I had a strange feeling about it... and then when I took it out of my bag... it did this!," Bakura stated.

"One of the needles is pointing at the castle!," Yugi pointed out with frightened eyes.

"Yes, it is... but this isn't the first time it had happened. I remember it did the same thing on the day I transferred to to Domino Highschool... when I first saw Yugi's Millennium Puzzle as I entered the crowded classroom," Bakura explained, looking at Yugi for a moment then turned back to the sacred item. "Not only that but it was also pointing at Usagi when we were in the pier, remember? Except all the needles were pointing directly at her instead of one."

"I found it really odd. I can understand why it was pointing at the puzzle but I don't understand why all the needles would be pointing at me all at once. I don't even have a Millennium Item!," Usagi noted. "Not to mention the ring was glowing too!"

"This ring must hold some extraordinary powers that I have yet to discover. Right now, the ring is isn't react to you or to Yugi's puzzle. It's main focus is on Pegasus's Millennium Item!," he exclaimed.

"Could it be that this ring could detect other Millennium Items?!," Yugi thought. "If that's the case, then why would it react to Usagi too? Does she have some kind of connection with the items? It doesn't make sense! Besides that, this item is like a dowsing rod..."

"Oh man, this is getting creepier and creepier!," Jonouchi uttered anxiously.

"Yeah! I don't even know what's going on!," Honda whispered.

Bakura placed the ring back into his bag and let out a sigh.

"I must find out the mysteries of the Millennium Items! What are they? Where did they come from? How were they made?"

He shifted his attention back to the duelists.

"Yugi... I came to this island to help you and Jonouchi. Now I'm helping Usagi as well... but I didn't come here only for that. Somewhere on this island are clues to the mystery of the Millennium Items! Pegasus has the Millennium Eye so he must know those secrets!"

Bakura slowly looked over to Usagi and smiled a little.

"As much as I want to ask you about how much you know about the items, Usagi, we must all get some rest now. We've been up too long and Mai and Anzu are lucky enough to have fallen asleep already."

"Yeah! I don't want to be hearing about this occult stuff anymore!," said Jonouchi.

"Then want me to tell you a scary story before we go to sleep, Jonouchi?," Honda giggled.

"Grr! Shut up!"

"Alright, let's all go to sleep now. Oh and we'll help you out with the secrets, Bakura. But whatever you do, don't wear that ring! It's too dangerous!"

"Don't worry! I won't!"

"Okay then, let's go back to sleep," Usagi confirmed.

Again, the gang tucked themselves in and tried to fall asleep with no interruptions at all. Yugi placed his head on his school backpack but instead of falling asleep like the others, he stared at the sky, thinking about what exactly was his Millennium Puzzle.

"The mystery of the Millennium Items... when I solved the Millennium Puzzle, Yami came to being... Or was he there all along and I wasn't aware of his presence? I want to know the truth too... but I have to leave that aside for now! There's important things I have to take care of! I have to defeat Pegasus and get Grandpa's body back! Just hang in there, Grandpa!"

 *** _whp whp*_**

 ** _*Zzzzz*_**

 ** _*Whp Whp*_**

 ** _*Zzzzz*_**

 ** _*WHP WHP*_**

 ** _*Grunt*_**

 ** _*WHP WHP WHP WHP!!*_**

"OH MY GOD! CUT IT OUT! WHAT IS IT THIS TIME!?!," Jonouchi yelled at the top of his lungs as the others woke up from a not-so deep slumber.

"H-Hey! Look! It's a helicopter!," Usagi pointed out.

A helicopter was soaring above the tiresome teens and began slowing down its engine to land on a clear area of grass in front of them. Jonouchi couldn't take it anymore because it was literally the third time he was awaken by loud noises in the middle of the night. This noise definitely bothered him the most.

"I HAD IT! I'LL BEAT UP THE ONE WHO'S INSIDE THAT DAMN HELICOPTER!!"

"Look! It's landing now!," Yugi stated.

Anzu and Mai appeared from behind, rubbing their eyes and trying to get a clear view of what was going on. At least they got to sleep a little better than the boys and Usagi.

"Ugh... what's going on? It's too loud to sleep," Mai yawned.

Before any of them could answer her question, the helicopter had found a perfect position and landed safely on the grassy ground. The rotor system of the aircraft came to a stop and the pilot opened the door. Everyone was shocked to see who had just stepped out of the helicopter. It was Seto Kaiba!

"Kaiba!?!"

"Hmph. Yugi...!"

The gang couldn't believe what they were seeing. How in the world did Kaiba wake up from his coma?!

"Is that who I think it is...?"

"It's Kaiba!"

"He came out of his coma!"

"But why is he here?"

Kaiba ignored the questions and glared intensely at Yugi.

 ** _*B-BMP B-BMP*_**

"Hey Kaiba!," Yugi said gleefully as he ran towards him with a smile.

"Hey, wait up Yugi!," Jonouchi shouted, not moving from where he was standing.

Yugi started to take small footsteps until he found himself face to face with Kaiba. Kaiba still had the same emotionless expression from the time Yugi had first met him.

"We meet again... Yugi...," he finally said.

"...Yup! Oh yeah... here... this guy had your cards. I got them back for you."

Yugi took out Kaiba's deck from his pocket and showed it to him to take it. Kaiba simply glanced at Yugi and took his cards cards back silently until he turned away from him.

"I'll say thank you for now, Yugi... but don't be mistaken. I'm not the kind of man who'll lose in a fight and run with my tail between my legs. I'll defeat you sooner or later," he stated clearly in a faintly voice.

"Kaiba...!"

"And one more thing... I will be the one who defeats Pegasus! I'll protect Kaiba Corporations with my own hands!"

He then proceeded to walk away from the gang but Jonouchi wasn't gonna let Kaiba leave them in the dust again.

"Hold it right there! Kaiba!!," he hollered. "There's no way I'll let you go off like that... Don't forget what you did to us in Death-T!!"

 ** _*DASH!*_**

Jonouchi ran up to Kaiba and grabbed onto the collar of his vest. His face looked furious but Kaiba didn't seem intimidated at all. He let out a chuckle.

"Heh... so you were there too? I almost forgot..."

"Why you...!!"

As Jonouchi was holding onto his collar, Kaiba noticed the glove he was wearing and knew Jonouchi was one of the participants of the tournament. He was surprised to see someone as pathetic as Jonouchi to take part of Duelist Kingdom.

"Heh... so you're part of this tournament? Now I know the level of the competition!"

"Grr!!"

Usagi slowly approached them and gazed at Kaiba who also looked at her too. His smirk faded away and he closed his eyes as if he was upset of looking at her.

"Kaiba... what did you do to my friends in Death-T?," she asked quietly, without a trace of anger nor forgiveness.

Before he answered, he yanked Jonouchi's hand off from his collar and threw it aside swiftly, making Jonouchi nearly lose his balance.

"Usagi... it's been a long time... hasn't it? I'm actually surprised you're friends with these geeks."

She nodded in response and kind of looked down.

"Huh? What's going on? Usako! What does he mean by "it's been a long time?!," Jonouchi asked as he rebalanced himself.

"I'm sorry for not telling you guys this sooner... But... me and Kaiba... were..."

"We were childhood friends," Kaiba finished without changing his expression.

"Childhood friends?!?!," everyone shouted in disbelief.

"Da hell?! I can't believe you're friends with Kaiba, Usako!," Jonouchi blurted out. "Why were you friends with someone as messed up as him?!"

"Watch your tongue, you mutt. I knew Usagi way back before I even knew any of your faces. But I'm not here to apprise you children with a story right now. I'm heading to Pegasus's castle and nothing's going to stop me."

"I ain't lettin' you go anywhere, Kaiba!!," Jonouchi shouted, just when he was going to jump on the ignorant teen but Honda stopped him by grabbing on both of his shoulders.

"Whoa! Slow down Jonouchi!"

"Let go man!!"

"No way! You're out of your mind!"

"No I'm not! I just want to teach this rich boy a lesson!! I challenge you to a duel Kaiba!!"

"Hmph."

"C'mon, Kaiba!! I'll fight you right now!!"

"Heh, don't make me laugh. Don't you realize what you're saying? Know your place!," Kaiba hissed.

"Grr... that does it!"

"Fine, then I'll accept. I wouldn't want to argue with a barking dog for any longer. Just don't cry to me... when I shatter your ego like cheap glass!"

"Don't do it, Jonouchi!," Yugi exclaimed worriedly but he got pushed aside. His words didn't affect Jonouchi's courage.

"I can't back down! We're on!!"

He pointed to the west side of the forest where there was a few battle boxes.

"Come with me! There's a battle box over there!"

"Hmph. No... let's fight here," Kaiba stated coldly.

"Heh?!"

"Don't worry. I don't intend to kill you on top of defeating you... mheh heh heh..."

 ** _*Clak!*_**

Kaiba kneeled down and placed his metallic case in front of him. He opened it and took out a strange looking device that looked like some sort of disk. There was two of them and after taking those out, he got back up and handed one over to Jonouchi.

"Put this on! It's a duel disk!"

"Duel disk?!," the gang thought. "Just what is this?"

 ** _*Ga Shunk!*_**

As Jonouchi placed the duel device onto his wrist, he held the other parts of it on his hand, thinking it's where the monsters will be played. Kaiba easily equipped it without having to stare at it for about twenty seconds since he already knew how it worked.

"That's how I'm going to defeat Pegasus... My new card battle machine!!," Kaiba declared. "This is a new piece of hardware my company started developing around the same time as Death-T! It's still in the prototype stages... but this is a good opportunity to test it out... The rules is the same concept of Duel Monsters... however, the concept of the "field" is a little different. Now put your forty cards in the "deck holder" latched to your arm!"

 ** _*FWP!*_**

Yugi couldn't believe what Kaiba had built to defeat Pegasus. This "duel disk" somewhat holds the power to beat Pegasus but in what ways? Wouldn't he still be able to read anyone's mind with the power of the Millennium Eye? Or... maybe that's what Kaiba was focusing on. Whatever it was, all we know is that is the secret weapon to bring the creator of Duel Monsters to defeat.

"I wonder how a portable card battle machine works...," he uttered.

Both duelists had placed their decks into their "deck holders" and had everything set for their fierce battle to begin.

"Before we start, we must move at least five meters apart!," instructed Kaiba as they took a few steps back from each other. "Are you ready? Then it's game start! I'll go first!"

 ** _*K-chink!*_**

"Draw five cards from the deck... set them to "battle mode" in the duel disk... and throw the duel disk into the field!"

 ** _*Toss!*_**

 ** _*WHIRR RR!!*_**

"Wh-What the...?! A monster is coming out of the duel disk!!," Jonouchi yelled in his mind, not knowing how advanced this device was compared to the battle box.

"The graphic data of the hologram is processed at high speed using the hyper 3-D engine built into the duel disk! It creates a "solid vision" of the monster using the V-2 emulator!"

"Wow...! A life-size hologram without the battle box! Kaiba advanced this game even further!," Yugi thought with a surprised expression.

"Kaiba... you truly have changed a lot throughout these years...," Usagi murmured, smiling a little with the thought of him feeling proud of what he had created. "You've succeeded in creating the prototype of the duel disk... your intelligence grew a lot compared to mine. I wish I could've accomplished something as great as that..."

Back to the duel, Jonouchi understood what he had to do after seeing Kaiba's example.

"All right! I'll go with this card! Don't let me down, "Armored Lizard!"

Armored Lizard: ATK/1500 DEF/1200

Level: 6

 ** _*DA DOOM!*_**

"Let's do this!," they both proclaimed at once.

"Go get him, "Armored Lizard!!"

"Battle Ox!" Disembowel him!!"

The two monsters rushed towards each other and were prepared to tackle one another as they got closer. "Battle Ox" lifted its enormous axe over its head and struck the lizard down on its neck.

 ** _*KLANG!!*_**

"Yes! My monster did get hit but the axe didn't pierce through the neck! You can't cut through it's armored scale! Your attack won't work!," Jonouchi pointed out.

"Hmph! You fool! That doesn't matter! My monster still has more attack points!," Kaiba confirmed. "Take him down "Battle Ox!!"

 ** _*SLAM! WAP!*_**

The beast slammed its axe down onto the lizard's neck and as the attack impacted the ground, the lizard's head went rolling off.

"Aww, man... my lizard!!"

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/1800

The card that was inserted into the duel disk was flicked out and Jonouchi scrambled to get it since it was pretty windy.

"Agh! My card!!," he yelled.

"You can get it back later, Jonouchi!," Yugi suggested.

"What a cheapo...," Anzu muttered.

Jonouchi managed to capture his card just as it was about to enter the forest and came back to the fight, panting and a little embarrassed. His duel disk was laying on the grass and Kaiba explained what was the next step to the machine.

"If the monster loses and the card is lost, pull the wire of the duel disk toward yourself and pull the disk back!"

"You mean like this?"

 ** _*Tug!*_**

 ** _*Whoosh!*_**

The duel disk immediately came back to his hand and Jonouchi was impressed how quickly it went.

"Whoa! I see now! This duel disk is like a huge yo-yo! And I'm pretty good with yo-yos!," he thought to himself.

"Now! It's your turn! Play a new card into the disk and throw it!," Kaiba ordered, snapping Jonouchi from his thoughts.

"Okay! My next card is "Flames Swordsman! This time, "Battle Ox" is going down! Take this!"

 ** _*WHRRR!*_**

"Yes! That card is stronger than "Battle Ox" so it could win...!," Honda stated.

Flames Swordsman: ATK/1800 DEF/1600

Level: 6

The monsters rushed to each other again and both lifted their melee weapons, preparing themselves to strike. As they did, the weapons collided and one kept pushing the other as the other struggled to push back.

"All right! This match is mine!," Jonouchi shouted. "Fighting Spirit Slash!!"

 ** _*ROOAR!!*_**

"Oh no! I forgot! "Battle Ox" has a strong resistance to fire! The "Flames Swordsman's" attack will go down by 300 points!," Yugi thought worriedly.

Flames Swordsman: ATK/1800»1500

 ** _*CHOP!*_**

"Iron Arm Axe!" The swordsman is killed!!," Kaiba announced.

"Gh... not even "Flames Swordsman stood a chance...!"

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/1600

"Hang in there bro!," Honda shouted.

"Don't give up, Jonouchi!," Anzu yelled in a desperate voice.

"Is there a chance he can beat Kaiba...?," Mai wondered.

"With these outcomes, I'm not even sure...," Usagi murmured.

Kaiba smirked as Jonouchi's second card flew out of the disk. He really was nowhere close to being a decent duelist.

"Mheh heh heh... the world's worst duelist, I presume? This is a special duel... more like an exhibition match! I won't take any star chips so don't worry!," he informed as he pulled back his duel disk. "But... I'll shatter your glass confidence until nothing remains!"

"Grr!"

"I must say, this is getting awfully boring. I'll play two cards this turn! I'll power up "Battle Ox" even more to show you the difference in skill between us!"

 ** _*Gashink!*_**

"They're both from Greek myths after all... so if I combine a minotaur and a centaur... I get a minocentuar! Fusion combo! Increased speed means better attack and defense!"

Rabid Horseman: ATK/2000 DEF/1700

Level: 6

"With the duel disk, it's even easier for Kaiba to make combos! And he's added fusion cards to his deck!," Yugi thought.

"This duel disk is truly amazing. This game would advance even further if it was made into many copies. There could be a possibility for that to happen," Usagi stated in her mind.

Jonouchi clenched his fists and was pissed at Kaiba for making him look like a weakling to his friends.

"Grr... Kaiba... you think you're so smart... I'll never forgive you!!"

 ** _*SHWRRR!*_**

Jonouchi had placed a new card into his disk and have thrown it.

"Here's "Swamp Battleguard!" Kaiba! I won't forget what you did to us in Death-T!!"

"Hmph. I would care less about it. Go, "Rabid Horseman!" Kill his measly monster!"

 ** _*CHOP!*_**

"Guh... then how about this?"

"As if! Fool! You can't even scratch my monsters with the kind of cards you have!"

 ** _*CHOP!*_**

 ** _*CHOP!*_**

 ** _*CHOP!*_**

Every monster Jonouchi had played ended up getting slaughtered by Kaiba's fearsome horseman. None of them stood a chance against it and unfortunately, that brought Jonouchi's self-esteem down greatly.

"No...!"

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/500

"Hahahaha! Why don't you give up already? It's pretty obvious that you don't stand a chance against someone with far more experience in this game!"

 ** _*Slump*_**

Jonouchi kneeled down in disappointment and couldn't see anymore of his worthless monsters getting defeated by Kaiba. He really didn't stand a chance against him at all.

"I... can't... win...," he told himself. "He's just too strong..."

"Jonouchi! Please get up!," Anzu shouted desperately.

"You can't give now!," Bakura added.

"Jonouchi...," Usagi whispered.

"Aren't you ashamed, Jonouchi?! Stand up and fight!," Mai shouted angrily. "I don't want to see you like this!"

Mai stopped giving him more courageous speeches because she didn't really feel comfortable saying them. Jonouchi stood up from his place and gave Mai a dirty look.

"Pfft... Shut up! I don't want to hear that from you, Mai Kujaku!," he shouted back as he focused on the duel again. "I'm not giving up! The battle's not over yet! My next card is..."

 ** _*WSH!*_**

"The super rare, "Red-Eyes Black Dragon!!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon: ATK/2400 DEF/2000

Level: 7

The rare dragon emerged from the duel disk and caught everyone off guard with only its arrival. Nobody expected Jonouchi to draw the right card at the right moment that he was about to lose. Even Kaiba seemed surprised that Jonouchi actually did a good move for once in their duel.

"Yes! It's the card that he received from Usagi! The black dragon fights with flames but it's so much tougher than the "Rabid Horseman!" It can beat it in any way!," Yugi stated. "You can do it, Jonouchi!"

"Here I come! Attack!!," he declared. "Black Fire Bullet!" Take that you ox centaur thing!"

 ** _*SHRA KOOM!*_**

"Hell yeah!"

"Yay! Way to go, Jonouchi!!," the gang cheered gleefully.

"Mheh heh... I guess that counts as a scatch...," Kaiba thought.

Seto Kaiba: LP/1600

"How'd you like that, Kaiba?," Jonouchi asked in a positive tone.

"Hmph... so happy winning over a measly battle on one turn... You truly are the world's weakest duelist! You moron!"

"What?!"

"I've been saving a card that could beat yours anytime! The card your friend Yugi gave back to me!"

"No way...!," Jonouchi thought surprisingly.

"It can't be...," Usagi whispered sadly.

 ** _*DA DOOM!*_**

"The legendary dragon of Duel Monsters! "Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

The great and powerful dragon had awaken once more from its deep slumber and had its sharp eyes targeting its next prey. Jonouchi stared at the legendary monster in awe and didn't had anything else to defend his black dragon. It was the end.

"Prepare yourself!," Kaiba announced proudly. "Burst Stream of Destruction!!"

 ** _*Z-BOOOM!!*_**

"DWAAGH!"

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/0

Winner: Seto Kaiba

The attack from "Blue-Eyes White Dragon blasted both "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" and Jonouchi from the battle ground. He flew off and fell as hard as a coconut falling from a palm tree. The gang went running towards Jonouchi to see if he was alright after that mighty blast.

"Crap... I lost!," he murmured angrily.

"Now do you see, Yugi? I'm the one who's going to defeat Pegasus!," Kaiba declared.

"Kaiba...!"

"Now, return! "Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Kaiba pulled back his duel disk and took out all of his cards and placed them inside his pocket while the disk was placed into the case.

"AAAAARRG! NO!!," Jonouchi cried in disappointment.

"Jonouchi!," said Yugi worriedly. He couldn't stand watching him yell and scream after he had lost against someone he had so much hatred for.

 ** _*Clink!*_**

"Fuck!"

Jonouchi took off the duel disk equipment and threw it down onto the grass, still enraged with the loss he had gained from Kaiba. All he wanted to do was punch the arrogant teen right on the face to smear off the stupid smirk he had on on his face.

Kaiba chuckled at Jonouchi's dense behavior.

"Hmhp. Was that supposed to be educational, Jonouchi? With luck... or your friends' help... you might be able to win a few matches despite your obvious incompetence... but now your fake confidence must be ruined."

"Guh...!"

"Jonouchi... it suits you well to crawl on the floor and weep! You're too much of a loser to even stand!"

"...! No..."

Anzu stood up and gave Kaiba a deadly glare.

"Who cares what you think! What do you know anyways?," she shouted. "You don't know what Jonouchi has been through! You don't know what's he's fighting so hard for! So stop saying whatever you want!"

"Yeah! Jonouchi's sister's eyes are—!"

"That's enough, Ryu! Don't say any more!," he ordered strictly.

"J-Jonouchi..."

"Don't tell this creep... something like that..."

"His sister's eyes...?," Mai wondered.

Kaiba didn't change his expression and didn't even feel guilty about damaging Jonouchi's confidence. He simply walked over to his side to pick up the duel disk and put it back to his case.

"Hmph. So what?," he said without the slightest trace of caring, "Even the weakest duelist has some reason to fight or believes in something. The only thing that matters is... if you let yourself be crushed... or if you can fight to protect those crucial things."

The others just glared at Kaiba as he began to walk away from them.

"Jonouchi! You'll regret battling me...! Your eyes are already a loser who's afraid to fight! You probably won't be able to stand as a duelist anymore..."

"Kaiba! You... You're just the same as before! You haven't changed at all...?"

He suddenly stopped after hearing those words. He slightly turned his head over and gave Yugi the coldest glare you can imagine.

"Yugi... you expect me to forget the past, grin like an idiot, and join forces with you? Heh... don't make me laugh. To this day, your stupid friendship disgusts me!"

Yugi had a strong urge to say something back to Kaiba but he then felt a hand on his shoulder. Usagi didn't want Yugi to say anything else.

"Yugi... it useless. Nothing will get to him," she whispered in a sad tone.

Kaiba looked over at his old friend and gave her a disappointed look.

"Usagi... you're the only person besides my little brother who knows me for a long time. I know you have a great reputation of being the female master duelist of Juuban. But what really disappoints me about you is that you ended up becoming allies with the most disgusting group of friends I've ever known."

"Kaiba... I may not know what kind of situations you had with my friends in the past... but they're the only ones who accept me for who I am. They've helped me throughout the whole day and kept me company whenever I was alone. They're not disgusting... they're light-hearted."

"So you really think of them as that, huh? I'm so sorry for you...," Kaiba commented. "I'm so sorry for you that the first people you just had to meet after keeping yourself locked up from the world for so many years had to be these fools! But... it's not like I can do anything about it. It was about time you had to stop being so timid of world and finally come to your senses. I felt like I should've been the first to meet up with you... if it wasn't for the fault for someone..."

Yugi looked down in shame and didn't say a word.

"Even so, I have some important things to get done. Usagi, although you are a dear friend of mine, I won't allow you to get in my way of achieving my goal!"

He then turned away from them and looked upon the castle.

"Yugi... Usagi... look over there."

They both did and found themselves looking at Pegasus's castle.

"Pegasus's castle... There he waits! The man with immeasurable power...!," they thought.

"Creator of Duel Monsters... His mind created the rule, his hand created all the cards... Duelists are competing against each other to gain entrance to the castle... but they won't! They're merely playing in the palm of God of Card Kingdom!," Kaiba continued. "Yugi... even with your skills... you're no match for him. The same goes for you, Usagi. I'm already aware that he considers you as his most "lovable" duelist but even he'll do anything to get rid of the people who are stopping him from taking over Kaiba Corp. Even if that means hurting the ones he cares about the most... I've seen him duel just once in the past."

 _No... Could have that been called a duel? He won without fighting!_

 ***Flashback***

Pegasus held a large tournament in New York for all the duelists in America to participate to win a variety of prizes. Duel Monsters was a huge success to America when it first arrived but mostly for the countryside. The number of duelists that most exceeded in a tournament was up to twenty million! Among those players, there are prize hunters who are called Card Professors. Out of all of those Card Professors, the number one was Keith Howard! But because he wins all the big prizes of the multiple tournaments he had participated, people call him "Bandit Keith."

Then, one day, he issued a challenge against Pegasus in the day he held a tournament in New York! At first, Pegasus didn't seem too interested... but he accepted the challenge under two conditions. The first condition was to bring the prize up to one million dollars... and the second was to hold a stadium with over fifty thousand people and broadcast the entire tournament to all over the world and split the earnings with the sponsors and TV stations!

Kaiba was invited as a guest with several other people sitting in the front row. Before they started to gather the participants to duel, Pegasus brought kids from the stadium to learn the basics of Duel Monsters to those who weren't familiar with card games.

"Yes, very good! So if he plays that card, you attack him with this one!," Pegasus happily explained to a kid. Other kids were gathered around a table to help understand the concept of the game.

"Wow! Thank you so much, Mr. Pegasus!"

"No need to thank me! What's your name by the way?"

"The name's Tom! I really appreciate your help for making me understand this game but I can't afford to pay for it. My family is pretty low in money."

"Then here's this special deck for you my child!"

"Woww! Really? Thank you so much!!"

"Just helping out! Now, smile to the cameraman!"

After that, the duel had begun. Both Bandit Keith and Pegasus sat on opposite sides of each other in a table and placed their decks on top.

"Heh heh... nice hair you got there, you big hippie!," Keith insulted and received no reaction from Pegasus. "I heard you like to teach children how to play this game. Look, I know it's an honor to duel you and all... but by the end of this fight, I'll prove to everyone in the world that I am the best duelist!"

He shuffled his deck and waited for Pegasus to shuffle his but all he did was close his eyes and did nothing.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?! The game already started!"

Without Keith noticing, Pegasus had already read his mind to what cards he was going to play in the duel. Suddenly, Pegasus started to write on a piece of paper and after he was done, he called for Tom. It was something unbelievable that everyone in the stadium seemed confused.

"Hey Tom! Can you come down here?"

Tom nervously approached Pegasus to the table. He seemed as confused as everyone else who was observing the duel.

"Wh-What do you need me for, Mr. Pegasus?"

"Tom!," he said merrily as he got up from his chair, "Please take a seat! You're going to duel in my place!"

"What?! You're joking!"

"There's no need to worry! Just follow the steps I wrote in the paper and winning will be guaranteed! Goodluck!"

"B-But Mr. Pegasus...!"

"Hey! Come back here!"

Pegasus took a seat next to Kaiba and talked with him about the new system Kaiba Corp was creating.

"I looked at the proposal and I think it's a wonderful idea to create those card battle simulation boxes! I would my company to work with Kaiba Corp to develop it together! Let's make it a reality!"

Kaiba nodded and turned back to the duel and realized Bandit Keith was actually struggling to beat a kid.

"Hurry up! You're taking too long in your turns just by reading that stupid paper! Here's my next card your brat!"

"Oh, uh... here it say that after you played that card, I need to play "Flying Elephant" in attack mode... Now the fissure attack you were going for is nullified... a-and I win..."

"What! That can't be!! How the hell is that possible?!!"

"I-It says it all on this paper... Your cards, your strategies, your moves..."

"Gimme dat!"

Bandit Keith snatched the paper from the kid and couldn't believe what he saw. It was all true!! Everything he was planning to do in the duel was written on the paper.

"AGHHH!"

"Tom wins!," Pegasus announced in joy. "Well, Kaiba, we'll talk more about those details later!"

Pegasus ran up to the cameraman with Tom and both smiled to the camera with their cards.

"Hey, you out there! This is the world's greatest card game--where any beginner can beat a strong champion! It's Duel Monsters!"

Pegasus had turn the whole tournament into a commercial for Duel Monsters!

 ***End of Flashback***

"Mind scan!? I knew it! Pegasus does have the power to read his opponent's mind!," Yugi thought.

"I can't believe it! If what Kaiba is saying is true... then his Pegasus's powers are beyond human!," Jonouchi noted.

"I don't know what kind of trick he used across the table... but I know there'd be a possibility to win against him the duel disk! Yugi! I'm going to Pegasus's castle!," Kaiba confirmed at last. "To take back what I almost lost!"

 ** _*DOOM!*_**

Just then, Yami had taken over Yugi to take care of the situation.

"Kaiba!," he called out in a confident voice.

"Yugi!," Kaiba thought in surprise.

"Kaiba, just like you, we too have precious things we don't want to lose! We want to protect them," Yami stated. "And I shall be the one to beat Pegasus!"

Kaiba changed his attention to the castle and started to walk towards the castle with faint steps of determination.

"Then let me put it another way... I'm going to Pegasus's castle before you!"

 _To be continued..._


	22. The Anonymous Duelists

The night passed by peacefully once more after the group of friends had to go into more trouble right after facing the Player Killer. At least wasn't a big deal but it sure was a surprise to meet up with the last person they thought they would ever see again. Kaiba had came to the island to take matters into his own hands in order to protect Kaiba Corporation from being dominated by Pegasus and the Big 5 and to rescue his little brother, Mokuba.

During the night, right after Kaiba had met up with Yugi, he walked toward the castle and didn't go back on his words. He knew that he would be the only one to defeat Pegasus and no one else. Kaiba was independent ever since childhood and even if he was friends with Usagi, he never liked depending on others. His dark past with his step father was what brought him to success.

 ***Pegasus's Castle 2:30am***

"Hey, what'd you think happened to Kaiba?," the bodyguard asked Saruwatari as they were guarding the entrance to the castle. "You think he's dead by now?"

"He better be dead. That bodyguard took care of it in the helicopter," Saruwatari responded.

"But have you heard? They lost contact with the helicopter but the radio is still on! But no one's answering!"

"What the—!? Now that you mention it, I thought I heard a chopper earlier tonight..."

 ** _*Stmp!*_**

The bodyguards stopped their chatting as they heard footsteps in front of them. They turned around and their faces went paler than Dracula.

"WHAT THE—?!?!"

"I-IT'S YOU!?! K-KAI—!!!"

"GET PEGASUS! TELL HIM KAIBA IS HERE TO SEE HIM!," Kaiba demanded fiercely.

Just then, the gates that lead to the castle opened behind the bodyguards and there standing before them was Croquet. His expression remained calm unlike the bodyguards and treated Kaiba just like an ordinary guest.

"Well, well... Mr. Kaiba! It's a surprise to see you! We weren't expecting you to arrive this late...," Croquet greeted as he applauded.

"Hmph! I'm so sorry your spies didn't kill me first!," Kaiba stated with a cold glare.

Croquet smiled strangely happy and stepped aside for Kaiba to enter the castle.

"Please do come in..."

As they took their first steps into the exterior part of the castle, they found themselves in the same garden where Kaiba used to meet up Pegasus to celebrate the creation of the battle boxes. The place seemed pretty quiet and you can easily hear the footsteps tapping on the solid bricked ground.

"This is your second time visiting the castle, isn't it?," Croquet noted, breaking the silence between them, "...Oh, that's right! Now I remember... You were for the party to celebrate the completion of the card battle simulation box!"

"Enough chit chat... I know you kidnapped Mokuba! Where is he?!," Kaiba shouted, demanding a response.

"Mokuba...? Oh... that's right, your little brother... "Kidnapped?" Mr. Kaiba, we would never do such a thing. We haven't seen him around much either..."

"You're a waste of time! Take me to Pegasus!"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. It's three in the morning and Pegasus is in bed right now," Croquet replied with a smirk, "But how about this? I'll get a room for you and you can talk with him tomorrow..."

Kaiba took a hold onto Croquet's collar hastily and gave him a pissed off look.

"I said now!!"

"Heh... as you wish, sir. Mr. Pegasus is right behind the next gate. If you can open it..."

Kaiba gave him a look of disgust but Croquet kept smiling as if nothing was wrong. It was like he didn't mind the rude attitude he was receiving from the multi-billionaire teen.

 ** _*Tmp! Tmp! Tmp!*_**

The two made their way to the next gate in another staircase of stone to enter the interior part of the castle to meet with Pegasus. However, Kaiba's plan didn't work out the way he had planned it before landing on this island. As they both arrived at the gate, Kaiba stood there and quietly waited for the advisor to hurry up and open the gate as quickly as possible. The tedious advisor didn't seem to move a muscle and continued smirking ominously. Kaiba looked slightly confused until he looked over at the gate, realizing that Croquet wasn't going to let him in that easily.

"What—!? A padlock with star shaped holes?!"

"That's right. The only way to enter this gate is to put ten star chips in the mechanisms. Only the last few surviving duelists can gain entrance to the castle. And you and I are no exception..."

"Grr...!!"

"Now, allow me to take you to your room in the annex... please step this way..."

 ***9:30am***

"C'mon! Please be a card that'll help me now...!," Jonouchi thought anxiously. "Fuck! This card will do no good at all!"

 ** _*BA DOOM!*_**

Kaiba stood arrogantly and laughed at Jonouchi before he was going to defeat him with his "Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Jonouchi had nothing to defend himself so all he could do was watch his life points go down to zero.

"There's nothing else you can do, Jonouchi! You're just a scared and worthless puppy that needs his owner to take care of him! This is the end for you! BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!!"

"AAAGGH!!"

 ** _*Gasp!*_**

Jonouchi quickly woke up from his horrible nightmare and rubbed his eyes as he got up. After experiencing his lost against Kaiba, his pride had shattered like glass and he couldn't forget that duel even if he tried to. Jonouchi shook his head and looked up at the morning sky to relieve himself from all the stress he had from last night.

It was the last day for all the remaining duelists on the island to collect their ten star chips. Usagi could've waited for the gang in the castle a long time ago but she preferred to stick with them while Yugi and Jonouchi still collected their star chips.

"Afraid to duel"... That dirty scumbag!," Jonouchi muttered with annoyance, throwing off his blanket in irritation.

He let out a soft sigh before glancing over to Yugi and Usagi who were still asleep. He smiled slightly.

"Why should I be afraid? Yugi's been fighting tough opponents one after another without flinching! And that's because he's a kid! And for Usagi... she already has ten star chips! She may look cute and all but there's definitely no way anyone can beat her strategies."

He then got up from his sleeping spot and threw a fist onto the air contently.

"If they can do it, then so can I! It's morning! Wake up guys!!," Jonouchi announced loudly.

Everyone sleeping below the trees were awoken by Jonouchi's blaring voice that echoed in the forest. They arose from their sleep and rubbed their eyes as they yawned quietly.

"Hurry up now! Today's the last day to get star chips! Let's go and duel some more!"

"Man, you work perfectly for an alarm clock Jou...," Honda yawned. "I'm glad this'll be the only time to hear you shout like one."

"Hehehe! You got a point, Honda," Yugi added. "Jonouchi seems pretty excited for today."

"Hey, do you think Kaiba actually made it to the castle last night?," Bakura asked.

"As his childhood friend, I know he never goes back on his words," Usagi answered, "I'm just hoping he's alright..."

"Hey, Usako, now that we're talkin' about Kaiba, how were you able to become friends with a guy like him?!," Jonouchi wondered.

"Well, it's sort of a long story but it's better I tell you guys about it as we continue our journey. You and Yugi have to collect the remaining star chips in order to participate in the finals and there isn't many duelists around here anymore."

"Usagi's right. We better hurry and get more star chips," Yugi replied as he stood up from the grass.

The group of friends helped pick up the blankets and sleeping bags from the ground and place it back into their backpacks. Anzu then came walking towards them, holding Mai's bag with a note.

"You guys are up? I thought you'd be hibernating instead of sleeping!," said Anzu happily.

"Oh, hey Anzu! You're up too!," Yugi stated.

"Hey, where's Miss Shiranui?," Jonouchi asked sarcastically.

"She was gone when I woke up," Anzu answered. "She left the tent and enough food for all of us. Oh, and before I forget, Mai also left this note for Yugi and Usagi."

She handed the note over to Yugi and it said:

* * *

 _Yugi and Usagi... Thank you guys for_

 _returning my star chips to me. I'll return the_

 _favor by collect eight star chips for you two!_

 _Oh, and Usagi, I left you some nice outfits_

 _in my other bag because you looked very_

 _pretty in that tube top outfit! Hope you_

 _like 'em!_

 _P.S. Mai Kujaku_

* * *

"Outfits?," Usagi murmured.

"Oh yeah, here's the bag of outfits Mai left for you. She must have plenty for herself if she really gave you that many," Anzu noted, giving a bag filled with folded clothing. "They do look pretty but I don't know if it's necessary to bring that many outfits. This tournament only lasts for two days!"

"Woww... this bag can barely fit in mine!," Usagi uttered. "Mai didn't really have to give all this clothing to me..."

"But you looked so pretty in that outfit last night, Usagi! I bet you'll look even prettier in those clothing!," Bakura added as Usagi's face turned red.

"O-Oh, thank you, Bakura..."

"Alright guys! Now since we've got everything packed, let's go—!," Jonouchi shouted but then looked down at his glove to see that he had four star chips. "Four!? I thought I only had two... Where could I have gotten these—?"

Jonouchi then raised his head and noticed Usagi smiled as soon as he turned to her. She winked and continued to talk with Anzu. Usagi had given Jonouchi the two star chips she had won from the Player Killer last night so that he wouldn't be left behind. He stared down to his star chips and shed a tear of gratitude while nobody was looking.

"Usagi... thank you. Thank you for bringing me one step closer to saving Shizuka from going blind..."

The gang left the clear forest area and headed towards their next destination to earn their final star chips. No one knows what could have happened to Kaiba but all they know was that Pegasus didn't just have two duelists to worry about. Yugi, Usagi, and Jonouchi were ready to do anything they can to fulfill their goals they had set ever since the beginning of the tournament. Yugi to save his grandpa's soul from Pegasus, Usagi to put a smile on her mother's face after many years of being kept in depression, and Jonouchi to win the prize money in order to pay for a special surgery to prevent his little sister from going blind. They'll take on any challenges in order to fight for their loved ones.

After a while of roaming around in the forest area, Jonouchi began to wonder how many duelists were left in the tournament. The place seemed awfully quieter than yesterday with everyone dueling in the battle boxes. Most of the battle boxes they've come across were empty so most likely not many were left.

"Hey, I wonder how many duelists are still hanging around here," Jonouchi stated.

"Well, twelve were kicked out in the first day and a bunch were defeated by Player Killers last night... I bet half of the duelists that participated in Duelist Kingdom are still here and the other half were disqualified," Yugi answered.

"We still have a whole day... But what's important is for, Jonouchi, is to make sure you're careful of picking who to fight with! You just need six more star chips and you're ready for the finals!," Honda informed Jonouchi as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"But... we can't take too long...," Usagi added to the conversation, "It's over when enough duelists collect those star chips before we do... and remember, there can only be five finalists. And all duelists that are still remaining are ones that survived the first day. They have to be stronger than yesterday!"

"Stronger than yesterday...?," Jonouchi murmured nervously, slouching a little after thinking about the powerful duelists that he still has to face. "Urgh..."

"Hey, Usagi! Stop scarring Jonouchi!," Honda chuckled.

"Scared?! Who you callin' scared?!," Jonouchi shouted back as he launched his hands onto Honda's face, forcing him to make goofy faces.

"Yuurr too skehd!," Honda spat out as he tried to remove Jonouchi hands from his mouth.

"Hey! Stop fighting you two!," Anzu demanded.

The blonde teen immediately took off his hands from Honda and gave the gang the brightest smile you can imagine.

"No matter who stands in my way... No matter what enemy... I will take them down with my bare hands!!"

"That's the spirit, Jonouchi!," Yugi cheered.

"As duelists, we will overcome every obstacle to fight for the ones we care about!," Usagi declared.

"You said it! Now let's go!!"

As the gang have announced their courage to take down any challenge, they were being spied from a cliff above them. Three anonymous people were spying on them secretly to check which ones were duelists. Two of them were rude-looking crooks and the other had a horrible skeleton-like face that would easily be mistaken for a Halloween mask.

"Hey, check those guys!," the skeleton-faced boy ordered.

"Let me see... only three out of the six guys are duelists!," the crook pointed out as he watched them using the binoculars. "And one of them is Yugi!"

"R-Really!?! You mean THE Yugi?!"

"Yeah! Check it out!"

The crook handed over the binoculars to the boy and his eyes grew wide.

"You're right! But haven't you noticed that cute duelist down there? She's one hella cutie to be participating in this kind of tournament!"

"Woww! Let me see!"

"Hey! You had your turn! That chick even has all ten star chips!"

"Ten star chips!? Then shouldn't she be in the castle by now?"

"Yeah! That's what I was thinking but looks like she enjoys hanging around with Yugi!"

"Then let's tell the boss!"

The two guys rushed to their boss to alert him about the two major duelists they had spotted. As they were running, one of the crooks were with the boss while he was showing off his rare cards he won in the various tournaments he had participated back then. That boss was one of the best duelists of America until the day when he had been humiliated by Pegasus; Bandit Keith.

"Hey Keith!"

"Hmph. Found any targets?," Keith huffed out as he placed the card back into his deck.

"Yeah! Three of 'em!"

"Three? Heh heh..."

"Yeah... but we should better leave 'em alone! One of them is Yugi!," the boy noted.

"...Yugi? Heh. Never heard of him..."

"He's the kid who beat Kaiba! You know, the Champion of Duel Monsters!," one of the crooks stated. "They say he'll easily go through this tournament and get to the castle!"

"Who says? They don't know what they're saying! I don't give a fuck about this punk named Yugi!," Keith shouted. "All four of us are going to the castle! And that's how it's gonna be! We'll beat the crap out of the fifth finalist so that they won't take place in the final duels! I don't care who or what they are!"

"Uh... boss... about that...," the boy uttered nervously, "...there's already a duelist who collected all ten star chips! But for some reason, she's still hanging around with Yugi."

"She? You mean it's a girl?!"

"Yeah! I gotta say, she's really cute but she's the first duelist on this island to get ten star chips!"

"This chick can probably fool others with her cute looks but her tactics must be pretty brutal if she collected those star chips on the first day!," the crook added.

Keith smirked and rised from the rock he was sitting on at a leisurely pace.

"Feh! You better toughen yourselves up, wimps! There isn't a single thing to worry about if you're teaming up with me!"

The crooks and the skeleton-faced boy glanced at each and wiped away their dumb faces.

"Y-Yeah! We shouldn't be worried at all if we got a duelist as strong as Bandit Keith by our side!," they announced.

"Heh heh... just you wait, Pegasus! You fucking sissy! I'll never forgive you for humiliating me in national T.V.! I'm gonna beat you if it's the last thing I do!," he thought maliciously. "Anyways, what about the third duelist?"

"Oh, that guy? He looks like an amateur to me."

"Alright! Then he's our target! We just gotta lure him away from the others!"

"Uh, I dunno... it's gonna be kinda hard. They're always together..."

"Man, fuck you guys... What're you worried about? We just gotta push him down the hole!"

"Down the hole?," the others muttered questionably.

"The entrance to the caves under this island! There's a hidden battle box down there... like a hidden stage in a video game! And I found the way in!"

"A hidden stage?!"

Keith grinned like a child that was about to tell a secret to a friend.

"This island was occupied by the U.S. military during the war. A lot of their troops were buried here at that time," he explained. "You know about all the terrain types... but what you don't know is that there's a graveyard field!"

The crooks were surprised to hear that there was another field on this tournament but Keith ignored their shocked expressions. He looked over to the boy and pointed at him.

"Hey! Your deck's made of zombie cards, right?"

"Um... Yeah...?"

"Good! You'll be playing in the crypt!"

The boy smirked mischievously as he took out his deck to show it off to his gang.

"Heh! You can count on me! They don't call me "Ghost" Kozuka for nothing!"

"Lemme check your cards, just in case," Keith stated.

"Sure."

Ghost Kozuka handed over his deck to the boss but he didn't seem impressed of the cards he owned.

"Shit... this deck won't cut it..."

Bandit Keith opened up his heavy sleeveless leather jacket to reveal several decks hidden in there. His minions were impressed to see the different decks he had made. Not many duelists out there can afford so many cards for the game.

"Heh heh! You don't need to worry 'bout your deck! I'll loan you some of my cards to form the ultimate zombie deck!," Keith declared.

"Holy shit! You're prepared for any kind of duel with those decks!," the crook, Satake, pointed out.

"Yeah! We definitely have higher chances of entering the castles with our boss!," the other crook, Sid, shouted.

"We better get to that damn castle. Although we were supposed to carry only forty cards, no one's gonna count the number cards we have! Besides, that rule only applies to the participants. I wasn't invited to this island but I gotta settle things up with Pegasus! So let's go to the castle!"

"Yeah!!"

 ***9:57am***

Yugi and his friends have been roaming around the forest for a while and haven't spotted a single duelist at all. Usagi began to wonder if there was actually less than half of the duelists remaining in Duelist Kingdom.

"Man, there's nobody! Where have they all gone?," Jonouchi sighed sadly. "It's like a ghost town here!"

"I'm not sure. Since most duelists were defeated by the Player Killers last night, then maybe none of them are around here in the forest," Usagi pointed out.

"Yeah, maybe that's the reason why there's no duelists here. But in that case, we better get out of here and look for the remaining participants," Yugi replied. "Staying here won't get us the star chips we need to take place in the finals."

 ** _*Hmmm*_**

"Hold up guys! I gotta go and take a leak!," Jonouchi announced as he hurried into the bushes for bathroom break.

 ** _*Zip!*_**

 ** _*Peee*_**

"Ah~ That's much better...!"

 ** _*Grab!*_**

Just as the blonde had finished, before he could even take a step, he was suddenly captured by the anonymous people working for Bandit Keith. They covered his mouth to prevent him from yelling for help.

"Heh, we got him!," Satake whispered. "Sid! You wait here in case the other duelists come looking for him! You must capture them, either Yugi or that cutie! We can let the boss take care of 'em!"

"You got it, Satake!," Sid responded.

As ordered, Sid stayed back and hid in the bushes to capture his next victim while Satake dragged Jonouchi into a hidden cave located somewhere unknown in the island. The duelist kept struggling to be freed but that only led him to getting punched in the guts to quiet him down. After entering the dark cave, Satake and Ghost Kozuka greeted their boss and then forced Jonouchi into a battle box.

"We've been saving a seat for you...!," Kozuka mumbled hauntingly.

"Wha—who the hell are you guys?!?!," Jonouchi finally shouted.

He slowly turned his head to look behind him and noticed a pile of human skulls were laying outside of the box. Jonouchi turned away from the horrific scene and tried his best to not scream until he saw the horrible face of Ghost Kozuka.

"Hehehe... Welcome to the crypt...! My zombie cards will make this your grave...!"

"AAAGGHH!!!"

 ***10:16am***

"What's taking Jonouchi so long...?," Usagi uttered worriedly.

"Eh, he's probably doing "number two" if it's taking him that long," Honda stated.

"Don't be gross!," Anzu scolded, holding back her hand that wanted to slap Honda for such a stupid assumption. "Even if that was the case, he's been gone for twenty minutes already!"

"Maybe he got lost?," Bakura suggested politely.

"Nah, that can't be! He's the type of guy that can tell which street he's on by the smell!," Honda noted.

"So you're saying he's a dog...?"

"Uh... Hmm..."

"Hopefully he didn't accept a duel from a duelist without telling us...," Yugi stated quietly.

"Ah ha! Now that might be it! Jonouchi has been so desperate to prove himself to be a worthy duelist after suffering from that loss against Kaiba! He probably wants to retrieve his self-confidence again by gathering the star chips he still needs!" Honda proclaimed.

"Then let's split up and go look for him!," Yugi declared.

"Alright! Usagi and Anzu will look for Jonouchi from the left side of the forest while we guys look for him over there in the battle boxes!"

"Okay!," Usagi shouted. "Make sure to alarm us once you find him! We'll do the same as well!"

The gang split up into two groups and began their search for the mysterious disappearance of their friend, Jonouchi Katsuya. This happened exactly like yesterday when Usagi went missing for almost an hour during Yami's duel against the ventriloquist. All of them prayed that he wasn't hurt or going through the same problem like Usagi did. Forced into a battle box to prevent a bullet being shot through her head and having to drinking almost several shots of poison after losing life points. Unfortunately, Jonouchi will have to go through the same problem. Let's just hope it's not as gruesome as Usagi's.

 ** _*Tmp Tmp*_**

"Usagi, have you found anything yet?," Anzu asked from one side of the bushes.

"Nothing. I can't find him," Usagi responded as she moved along a bit further into the forest. "I can't find any footprints at all!"

"That idiot... Why did he think it was a good idea to wander off in a time like this?"

"I have no idea. Maybe that wasn't his intention but I'm hoping he just didn't run off to find a duelist here."

"I sure hope not."

The two girls kept yelling out his name, desperately waiting for a response but the forest stayed silent after their voices lowered down.

"Jonouchi! Here boy! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

"Jonouchi! Jonouchi!"

They yelled once more but there was still no response.

"Oh Jonouchi... where could you have gone...?"

Usagi then heard some bushes from behind moving its leaves. She turned and carefully approached to them while Anzu was looking at the other way of the forest. Thinking it was Jonouchi, she was jump scared by a little squirrel just searching for some walnuts. The small animal gave a quick glance at Usagi before it fled the scene.

"Oh... it was just a squirrel," she murmured, feeling a little disappointed it wasn't Jonouchi, "...I better get back with Anzu—"

 ** _*Grab!*_**

Usagi suddenly felt a large and stiff hand cover her mouth and the other grabbed her thin arm.

"Don't scream to your friend. She won't hear you. Instead, you're comin' with me."

The crook, Sid, dragged Usagi out of the forest to the same cave where Jonouchi was taken. Sid at least tried to be gentle with the blonde girl but she kept throwing her arms around like crazy. He even tried to give a small kiss to her but he ended up getting punched awfully hard on his cheek. Sid didn't want to hurt her but his grip on her wrist grew tighter. At last, he finally made it to the secret cave and let go of her.

"There! You better stop acting so damn annoying, princess," Sid stated as he rubbed his cheek where she punched him.

Usagi looked around the dark cave and immediately noticed the battle box in front of her. She found some familiar in the box and it was no mistake. It was Jonouchi!

"J-Jonouchi!," she shouted, running towards the battle box and looking at him from the outside.

"Was this the girl you were talking about?," Keith wondered as he appeared from the shadows.

"Yep! The first duelist on this island to win ten star chips!," Satake answered. "She's a cutie, isn't she?"

"I suppose so but she's a bit too young for me," Keith huffed out.

Usagi backed away a little and finally had the courage to speak.

"What did you do with my friend?," she asked.

"You mean this guy? Heh, we just wanted to duel him," Sid answered. "Well, **he's** the one dueling your friend."

Sid pointed at the other duelist in the box which Usagi didn't noticed after worrying about Jonouchi too much. It was Ghost Kozuka.

"Hello, my gorgeous angel of death. I'm the one who's gonna burry Jonouchi with my zombie cards!"

She didn't scream out in terror after looking at his horrible face but she did jump.

"Is that really your face? Or are you wearing a mask?," Usagi wondered. "I should notify you that Halloween isn't happening in couple of months, you know."

"Hmph! This is my face! Why won't anyone believe me?!," Kozuka argued.

"Hey, well look at the bright side. At least she didn't get scared as much as this wimp over here!," Satake noted, glancing over to Jonouchi to find out he passed out. "Huh?! Hey Keith! Look at this! This guy passed out!"

"Oh no! Jonouchi!," Usagi uttered worriedly.

Satake entered the box and grabbed on Jonouchi's hair and laughed at him.

"Hmph... Shit... I thought he was worth beating because he was friends with this Yugi... Turns out he's just a "cluck cluck" chicken...," Keith stated disappointingly.

"Hahahaha! He really is a wimp!," Kozuka chuckled.

"Enough! Wake him up!," the boss demanded.

Satake tool a hold onto Jonouchi's weak cheek and lifted up his arm.

"Hey you... don't waste our time!!"

 ** _*SLAP!!*_**

Satake slapped Jonouchi so hard that he actually woke up from his unconscious. Usagi gasped and couldn't believe how he hurt her friend in such an unforgivable way.

"Hey...," Jonouchi finally said, "Whadda think you're doing!?!"

He quickly got up from his seat in the battle box and cornered Satake while holding onto his shirt's collar. Before the angry teen could launch his fist, he looked at his surroundings and quickly regretted staring at the human skulls.

"Wh-Where am I?!," he asked as he shivered in fear.

"You're in the crypt! A hidden Duel Monsters arena!," Kozuka replied.

"Th-The crypt?!?"

 ** _*Gulp!*_**

Jonouchi was just about to pass out again but Usagi quickly took on action.

"Jonouchi! There's no need to be scared! I'm here too!," Usagi stated as she tapped on the glass.

"U-Usako?! What're you doing here?! These guys forced you into this cave as well?!"

"Yeah... but I'm alright! I'm just glad that you're safe."

"But what about the others?"

"They're searching for you! We were so worried for you, Jonouchi!"

"Enough talking you two!," Keith yelled angrily. "Jonouchi's here to duel and then we'll deal with you later. You should've gone to the castle by yourself so you wouldn't have been here. Too bad you let that chance slip away because of your shitty friends holding you back!"

Satake took off Jonouchi's hand from his collar and walked out the battle box so that only Jonouchi and Ghost Kozuka remained.

"Hehehe... this cave is haunted by the lost souls of the troops who had passed away during the war. Many have been killed and only their corpse remain in here... but that happened so long ago that the only thing you can find here are their skulls!"

Jonouchi began to tremble with fear but not as much since Usagi was with him now.

"Now! Let the game began!," Kozuka proclaimed at once. "Draw your cards!"

"Crap... now they're forcing me to duel? This is bad! I'm dead meat!," Jonouchi thought.

Usagi was observing the duel from outside and hoped Jonouchi wasn't going to faint again. You may think Usagi could just run out of the cave and find the gang to tell about what's going on but, the thing is, she didn't had a clue where she was. The cave was extremely dark and the only way Usagi was able to get there was because Sid brought her there with a flashlight. She would easily get lost in the darkness, unaware of any possibility of reptiles hanging around there. The battle box was easily spotted with its holographic lights from inside and the outer lights above the glass. Usagi was probably deep into the cave like the depths of an ocean.

"My friends... please don't worry about us... Jonouchi and I are fine for the time being...," Usagi mumbled softly, "...I promise I'll do my best to cheer for Jonouchi in this duel you're unaware of. While you're looking for us... I cross my heart that I will support our dear friend for you all..."


	23. Duel of the Undead: Part 1

***10:42am***

The gang continued their search for Jonouchi after learning he had vanished without a trace. The boys kept looking for the lost blonde in the battle boxes around the forest but there was nothing in them.

"Grr! Where the hell did Jonouchi go?! We've been looking for to him for nearly half an hour already!," Honda shouted in frustration. "Dammit! That guy just doesn't know how to stay still!"

"Calm down, Honda. We'll eventually find him," Bakura added to cool Honda from his temper.

"Yeah, but we have to find Jonouchi soon! If he really did accept a duel without our notice, there could be a chance he'll be risking his remaining star chips to that duelist!," Yugi remarked. "Remember, today's the last day to collect the remaining star chips needed to gain entry to the finals. Duelists will likely be betting all their star chips from now on to collect them much faster. So we better—"

"Yugi! Yugi!," a voice hollered from behind them as their feet brushed against the grass.

 ** _*TMP TMP TMP!!*_**

They turned around and were surprised to see Anzu running towards them. She stopped running and began walking slowly, panting softly with her legs feeling a little numb.

"A-Anzu! What's the matter? Why were you running with such a rush?," Yugi wondered as he helped Anzu calm herself down.

"I-I'm sorry I startled you guys like that—it's just that—Usagi's missing!," she huffed out, still trying to control her breath.

"Wh-What!?! What do you mean she's missing?! Usagi was with you!," Honda stated with a shocked and frightened look.

"I know she was, but while I had my back turned, I heard something in the bushes from behind and before I knew it, she was gone!"

"N-Nani?! Are you sure you didn't leave her behind?," Bakura asked.

"No, I would never! I even tried calling for her but there was no response!," Anzu responded nervously. "Usagi... just vanished!"

"What do you think could've happen to her?"

"I don't have the slightest clue! She couldn't have—!"

Anzu immediately thought about the trembling event that Usagi had told them of her facing with an assassin to a duel with deadly consequences. She shivered at that thought and tried calm herself down from panicking. After facing the death of the assassin that was murdered by an unknown person, Anzu couldn't believe that Usagi had to go through that terrifying situation once more.

"Wh-What if... she's facing another... assassin?!?," she blurted out.

Everyone suddenly froze and gave each other disturbed looks.

"If that's the case—we have to find her now! What if Jonouchi is also experiencing the same thing?!," Yugi added, leading the others out of the battle box area in the forest.

"That can't be good! I wouldn't want to see them escape wherever they are and barely making it out alive!," Honda shouted as he pointed to a path. "C'mon! There's no time to waste! We gotta find them before it's too late!"

The four remaining friends of the group dashed out from the battle box area to find their lost friends whom they thought were in danger. If only they knew...

 ** _*_ Cave of the Dead***

"Alright! Let's start by betting four star chips each! You bet all the ones you got!," Kozuka demanded as he dropped his star chips onto the table.

"Crap... I'm betting the star chips Usagi had given me to catch up with them...," Jonouchi thought sadly, staring at the star chips as they were placed on the table as well. "I better not lose this duel! I can't let her helpfulness be in vain!"

Bandit Keith snickered. He saw how excited his minions were to receive a couple of more star chips in order to enter the castle. Little did they know, they were actually helping the boss win star chips just for himself!

"Hehehe! That's right you fools! Keep winning those star chips for me!," Keith chuckled in his mind, "Heh, it's a good thing these idiots can win star chips very easily! By every star chip you win, you're getting **me** a step closer to the finals!"

After the betting has been settled, each duelist drew starting hands to began the duel. Jonouchi, however, was hesitating to commence the battle after his humiliating defeat against Kaiba. His words of discouragement and disgrace kept haunting Jonouchi's pride as a duelist.

 _"You'll be afraid to duel ever again! Loser... loser... loser... loser!!"_

"Shit! I gotta fight! Why should I care about what that rich guy says about me?," Jonouchi asked himself. "If I run now, I'll really be a loser! And if I act like a loser... I won't be able to look at Yugi nor at Usagi in the eye!"

"Hehehe... you ready or what?!," Kozuka shouted.

"Hell yeah I'm ready!!"

"Duel!!," they both proclaimed at once.

"Jonouchi! Don't let his cards scare you! I know you'll get through this!," Usagi exclaimed as she tapped onto the glass of the battle box.

"Don't worry about a thing, Usagi! With you here, I'll definitely keep my toes on the ground!," Jonouchi replied in a positive tone. "I have to believe in my cards if I want to win! I'll go with this card! "Axe Raider!!"

Axe Raider: ATK/1700 DEF/1150

Level: 5

Ghost Kozuka scoffed at the measly warrior monster.

"Heh! It's just a plain old warrior card! With my zombie cards and the field being 100% Graveyard, I can easily wipe out his monster with this card! I play—!"

"Wait! Hold on!," Bandit Keith ordered.

"Huh...?!"

"Don't play that card! Play the one on the far left!"

Ghost Kozuka formed a puzzled look as soon as his eyes turned over to the card on the far left.

"Wh-Why not?! The card you're telling me to play is a Warrior-type! It won't gain any field power of the graveyard! It's gonna be beaten!"

"Heh! Just do as I say! I promise you that my advice will bring you to victory!"

Jonouchi gave an inconvenient glare at Ghost Kozuka. He wasn't pleased with the fact that he was receiving help from his "friends" in their duel.

"Hey! Keep your focus on the duel! Stop asking for help! You were suppose to fight on your own!," he declared as Usagi nodded in agreement. She, too, knew it wasn't fair for one duelist to be given advice for victory while the other was on their own. To her, she knew Jonouchi doesn't require help in this duel. Usagi stated solemnly to herself, "Jonouchi, I know you'll handle this duel well. But despite the fact that you don't need help, I can still see the fear lurking in your eyes. The fear of losing."

After pausing for a couple of seconds, Ghost Kozuka finally agreed with Bandit Keith.

"Okay! I'll trust our boss! I play "Zanki" in attack mode!," he stated as he placed his monster card onto his side of the field.

Zanki: ATK/1500 DEF/1200

Level: 5

"That's right, Kozuka! Just follow the boss's orders! If it weren't for him, we probably wouldn't be here!," Satake pointed out.

"Yeah! This is all part of the plan!," Sid added.

"Plan...?," Usagi thought.

Both monsters rushed toward each other almost immediately. Of course, the monster with the higher attack wins the battle according to the game so Jonouchi's "Axe Raider" sliced his competition in half.

 ** _*SLASH!!*_**

"Guh... he got him...!"

Ghost Kozuka: LP/1800

"Heh heh... everything's going according to plan!," Bandit Keith noted in his mischievous mind.

Jonouchi was present glad he had a good start for the duel. Due to his positivity, Jonouchi was unable to detect the pattern that'll soon lead to his loss if he doesn't pay attention.

"All righty! I got it one monster down! This is pretty easy!"

"Grr...!"

"What's the matter Uncle Creepy? Play your next card unless you want your side of the field all empty!"

"Nnrr... what was all that about...?!," Kozuka uttered as he picked out his next card, "Fine! I'll play a Zombie-type monster this time! I summon—!"

"Hold up! Go with the second card on the far left!," Keith demanded.

"Wh-What?! "Crawling Dragon?!" But it isn't one of my zombies! Just like before, it's gonna be killed the moment I play it on the board!"

"Trust me, will ya? This is all part of my strategy! You just gotta believe in my awesome intellect! I was the original unbeatable duelist!," he announced proudly.

"Original...?"

"Okay...! I summon "Crawling Dragon" in defense mode!"

Crawling Dragon: ATK/1600 DEF/1400

Level: 5

"And I... chop it up!," Jonouchi stated as he finished with a blow.

 ** _*SLASH!!*_**

"Hell yeah! This is way too easy!"

"Jonouchi, although you're doing well at this moment, please be aware of the situation," Usagi noted.

"Aware? Relax, Usako! I'll beat this guy if he keeps following his boss's orders! It's not like if he's getting anywhere close to being victorious!"

Bandit Keith scoffed but didn't say anything to Jonouchi's comment.

"Heh... by the looks of it, it seems like the girl has far more understanding in strategies that this bozo here. She's very cautious about Kozuka's moves since I'm telling him what to do. The blondie must know what kind of duelist I am and the other dude simply doesn't have a damn brain to think. Hmph. She's gonna be an interesting opponent to face once Jonouchi is beaten. Heh. I wonder if Usako knows who I am."

Back to the duel, Ghost Kozuka played his next card which will soon be destroyed like the rest.

"I play "Crass Clown" in attack mode!"

Crass Clown: ATK/1350 DEF/1400

Level: 4

"Ha! I summon "Flame Swordsman!" Go and slash that clown!"

Flame Swordsman: ATK/1800 DEF/1600

Level: 6

 ** _*SLASH!!*_**

"Go back to the circus mate!"

"Guh...!"

Ghost Kozuka: LP/1350

"Yes! If I keep this up, I'll win for sure!," Jonouchi thought happily. "Looking back, I always had to rely on Yugi to help me out but now... things will be different! I'll prove that I don't need help from anyone to face any obstacles! I will overcome my weaknesses on my own, just how Usako did in her duel against Ryuzaki! I'm sure I will accomplish it!"

Usagi noticed the bright expression of hope Jonouchi had formed on his face. She was surprised to have seen the fear vanish in his eyes but she was relieved to know he wasn't afraid anymore.

"Jonouchi..."

"Hey, you three! How bout' after beating your friend over here, I challenge you three? Hahaha!," he laughed as he pointed at them.

They suddenly smirked strangely and chuckled at Jonouchi. He felt something was wrong.

"Hehehe... why don't we?"

"...Huh?"

Ghost Kozuka continued his turn and drew his next card. Both him and the boss smirked as soon as they looked at the card.

"Now I get it! Keith was waiting for me to draw this card! He really is a genius!," Kozuka noted excitingly in his mind.

"Now play your trump card, Kozuka!," Keith shouted.

"T-Trump card?," Jonouchi muttered dumbly.

Ghost Kozuka raised his card all the way up and slammed it down with confidence.

"Get ready! It's all over with this card!"

"Wha—!"

"My rare magic card... "Call of the Haunted!!"

Call of the Haunted: Magic Card

Effect: Take all the monsters from your graveyard and special summon them in face-up attack position. They are treated as Zombie-type monsters and they're invulnerable to most attacks.

As soon as the magic card has been played, monsters that have killed by Jonouchi were crawling out of the ground as zombies. They were rotting and decaying but they came back far more powerful than before. Jonouchi couldn't believe what he was seeing. Usagi began worrying for him.

 ** _*D-DOOM!!*_**

"I knew something was up! Their boss wanted Jonouchi to kill Kozuka's weaker monsters to bring them back as zombies to gain the field power once he played "Call of the Haunted!" Please be careful, Jonouchi!," Usagi thought anxiously.

Ghost Kozuka laughed hauntingly as his zombies took over his side of the field.

"Hahaha! Since my monsters came back as zombies, they receive field power from the graveyard!"

Clown Zombie (Undead): ATK/1350»1755

Dragon Zombie (Undead): ATK/1600»2080

Armoured Zombie (Undead): ATK/1500»1950

"Go, "Dragon Zombie!" Attack the warrior!!"

"Axe Raider!" Slice that zombie!!"

"Axe Raider" launched its massive axe onto the undead dragon and pierced it through its neck. The zombie didn't seemed hurt in any way.

 ** _*CHOP!*_**

 ** _*HISS*_**

"No way...! It was a clean hit... but the wounds are sealing up!," Jonouchi murmured.

"Hahaha! You can't kill the undead with your weapons! No matter what you do, they'll come back!!," Kozuka laughed sinisterly. "Prepare to die! "Deadly Zombie Breath!" The axe raider is reduced to emulsified flesh in seconds!!"

 ** _*MRAAA!!*_**

"Gh..."

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/1620

"Hahahaha!! Nothing can kill my army of zombies!"

From outside the battle box, Keith and the other crooks chuckled but Usagi couldn't stop worrying about Jonouchi's fate in the duel. As must as she wanted to help him, she knew it wouldn't be right. Usagi already saw his courageous eyes before; She didn't want his spirit to decay into sorrow.

"C'mon, Jonouchi! Focus on the game! There must be a way to defeat Kozuka's army of zombies!"

Ghost Kozuka ended his turn, feeling relieved now since he has an army to protect him.

"Gehahaha! C'mon, c'mon! It's your turn! Unless your... **scared**?! Just don't start foaming at the mouth again!"

"Tsk! What do you mean scared?!," Jonouchi protested, "I'm a real duelist and a real duelist never runs away dumb zombies! I'll make you guys foam at the mouth!"

"You tell them, Jonouchi!," Usagi cheered.

"Alright! I ain't runnin' away from you jerks! I'm gonna take you guys down one by one! I play "Garoozis" in attack position!"

Garoozis: ATK/1800 DEF/1500

Level: 5

"Get the clown! "Five Point Slash!!"

 ** _*SLSH SLASH!!*_**

"Yes! I beat it!"

"Hahaha!," Kozuka giggled, "Didn't I tell you? This card is active as long as it's on the board!My zombie comes back from the grave!!"

"Wh-What—?!?"

The undead clown crawled out of the ground, looking even more decayed than last time.

"Aw crap! It's back...!!"

"Hehehe! Everytime when one of my undead is resurrected, its attack goes up by 10%!"

"Shit...!"

Clown Zombie (Undead): ATK/1755»1890

"Go my zombified clown! "Knife Toss!!"

 ** _*FFSHING!*_**

"Not again...!," Jonouchi uttered.

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/1530

Jonouchi tried to hide his nervous expression but it didn't seem to work. Ghost Kozuka could finally see him struggling to keep up with the game which left him laughing.

"Now do you see? You can't win! Gehahaha!"

"How am I supposed to kill something that's already dead?! Even I do beat them, they still come back with more strength! Is... is this the power of the undead?," Jonouchi thought nervously as he gripped his cards. "If I lose these star chips, I'm out of the game... Am I... going to lose everything...?"

 _After this match, you'll be too afraid to ever duel again!_

 _Loser..._

 _loser..._

 _loser..._

 ** _LOSER!!_**

"...No! Losing isn't an option for me! Not when I'm fighting for people I care about! I won't give up! And I won't lose!!"

He continued his turn and briefly draws his card, not feeling a single ounce of fear as he did. Usagi sighed in relief.

"That's right, Jonouchi. Remember who you are fighting for. I know your little sister, Shizuka, would be so happy to hear how much you've risked just to save her vision."

As he looked down at the card, he smudged a big grin on his face.

"Time Wizard!," Jonouchi shouted in joy, "Here I come! Seems like there's still hope for me!"

Time Wizard: ATK/500 DEF/400

Effect: When the arrow points to a "win," your opponents monsters grow weak and old, lowering their attack. If the arrow points to a skull, however, your monsters will get destroyed and you take half the damage equal to the attack of those monsters.

Level: 2

He glanced over to Usagi and there she stood with a bright smile on her face. Jonouchi blushed a little but quickly concentrated back to the duel.

"Although the others aren't here, I still have Usagi by my side! She believes in me as much as my friends and my little sister! And I won't disappoint them!"

Jonouchi played the card and knew this duel was coming to an end. Ghost Kozuka and everyone else in his side frowned upon the wizard of time. Bandit Keith knew how powerful that card was since he used to face it in his previous tournaments. That card usually left him on the ropes and it will definitely have the same effect to Ghost Kozuka. That is, if the arrow points to a "win."

"Aw shit not that card...! If this bozo manages to get a "win" with that damn wizard, my whole strategy will fall apart!," Keith whispered in anger.

"Time Roulette!!"

The funky wizard lifed up it's wand and a roulette appeared above the board. The arrow began spinning endlessly; everyone there were beginning to grow anxious by every moment the arrow passed by a "win" or a "skull."

 ** _*SPIN SPIN SPIN*_**

"C'mon, "Time Wizard!" Please don't fail me now!"

"Jonouchi...!"

"Hurry up you damn clock! Make the guy lose!"

 ** _*TIK TIK*_**

"It's stopping...!!"

 ** _*...BA DUM!!*_**

The arrow finally came to a stop but when it did, everyone couldn't believe the results. Especially Jonouchi.

"A-A skull?!? No—this can't be! What happens?! Do I lose?!?"

 ** _*GWOOO~*_**

The wizard raised up its wand and opened a time vortex above the field. Since Jonouchi landed on a "skull," all his monsters get sucked up into the vortex, never to be seen again.

"Ah! Please, don't go! Come back!!," he cried as he saw them get banished into the vortex. "Crap... the half of the attack total of my monsters are subtracted from my life points...!"

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/630

"Oh no! J-Jonouchi wasn't able to... oh no...!," Usagi uttered in fright, "...Please hang in there...!"

The others laughed at Jonouchi for risking his own monsters and still losing the chance of winning. He just sat there with no facial expression.

"Hahaha! That's awesome! He killed himself!!," Kozuka chuckled. "All right! Now play your next monster! At least it'll be a sacrifice to my zombies! Now hurry up!"

Jonouchi drawed his card gloomily. He didn't know what else he can do to win.

"I play "Demon Hunter Kojikocy" in defense position..."

Demon Hunter Kojikocy: ATK/1500 DEF/800

Level: 6

"Go, "Dragon Zombie!" Attack—!"

"Wait!," Keith hollored, making Ghost Kozuka nearly drop his cards from shock.

"Wha—?"

"His monster is in defense mode. Jonouchi won't get hurt when it's destroyed. Now's the time to draw a new card to beef up our zombie army!"

Jonouchi had just about enough with the boss and finally shouted at him.

"Hey, you! Mr. "I know everything about Duel Monsters!" Who the heck are you?!," he shouted across the table.

"Who, me? The name's Keith... Bandit Keith! I don't expect people from Japan to recognize me but back in the U.S... I was known as the top-ranked prize hunter!!"

"Bandit Keith?! I've heard of that name before...!," Jonouchi thought, suddenly remembering what Kaiba had told them about Bandit Keith. His sudden realization of the duelist quickly frightened him. Jonouchi was in front of the original unbeatable duelist, whom only Pegasus was able to defeat him. "That can't be...! He's the "card professor" Kaiba was telling us about! Pegasus was the only person to beat Bandit Keith! If he's helping out these guys... then I never had the chance of winning from the first place...!!'

Usagi also felt surprised about Keith's identity as well, knowing that he already has high experience in the game.

"So he's Bandit Keith! I couldn't get the name off my mind after the long chat with Kaiba. I can't believe he's actually here...," she murmured, feeling worried for Jonouchi's fate in battle, "But the thought of him being a powerful duelist also seems to question me. If he's that great in Duel Monsters from what Kaiba had said, then what is he doing with these guys? Shouldn't he be at the castle by now if he's that good?"

The crooks and Bandit Keith laughed at the dumbfounded Jonouchi then went silent afterwards.

"Just give up dude! It's your tough luck you had to play with us! I'm teaching these guys the perfect strategies for their duels! Ha! You may have that cutie as your prayer but how can you listen to her if she's far more experienced in the game that you? With all honesty, she would've been a way more interesting duelist to fight with than you!," Keith declared with a laugh. "You're just a fucking novice who nearly killed himself stupidly by playing a risky card! Did you really think you had that much luck on your side against us?"

"Grr...!"

"Lemme tell you this. After I beat someone—they never play Duel Monsters—or **any** card game—ever again! Because I beat them so bad, the mere sight of a card brings back flashbacks that cripple their whole body! Hehehehe!"

"Me too!," Kozuka added as he drew another card from his deck. "I'll make you say "farewell to cards" forever!!"

"Now play, "Ghost King!!"

"I'm on it!!"

Pumpking, The King of Ghosts: ATK/1500»1950 DEF/2000»2600 (Graveyard Field Power)

Effect: This card feeds power to your Zombie-type monsters every turn.

Level: 6

 ** _*DOOM!!*_**

The field began to tremble with such a strong force. There came rising from the graveyard was an enormous and spooky pumpkin with several tentacle-like roots coming out of its bumpy back. To finalize this creature's appearance, it also wore a glossy, golden crown on top of its head. Its eyes were staring at Jonouchi's defenseless monster like a predator cornering its prey.

"Hahahaha! "Pumpkin King" is known as the Lord of the Dead! His body is nothing but a giant sac of ectoplasm, the fuel for spirits!," Kozuka explained with excitement. "Every turn, he feeds my zombies with energy, increasing their power by 10%!"

"E-Every turn...!?!"

"Now! Give them energy my king!!"

 ** _*Gulp Gulp Gulp*_**

Armored Zombie (Undead): ATK/1950»2100

Dragon Zombie (Undead): ATK/2080»2240

Clown Zombie (Undead): ATK/1890»2025

"Go, "Dragon Zombie!" Kill his monster!!"

 ** _*MRAAAA!!*_**

"No way!," Jonouchi uttered in disbelief as he played another card, "I play this monster in defense mode!"

"Hehehehe! Now's my turn! And you know what that means!"

"Pumpking" gave more energy to the zombies through its withered roots that were inside their bodies. They grew bigger than before and kept growing with attack power.

Dragon Zombie (Undead): ATK/2240»2400

"This is no good at all...!!," Usagi thought worriedly, crossing her arms to relax herself, "If Jonouchi doesn't get rid of that pumpkin soon, it will be impossible to even land an attack on those zombies!"

Nonetheless, Kozuka had destroyed another one of Jonouchi's monsters and left him speechless.

"Jonouchi! You have to fight back somehow! I know there's always a way to win in the most crucial moments!," Usagi pleaded.

He simply gave a glare and stayed quiet.

"Wow! Keith... your strategy works perfectly! Turning my monsters into zombies to receive field power from the graveyard then make them have infinite power with "Pumpking!"

"Heh... it's not perfect just yet! This dweeb is gonna be summoning his monsters in defense position all the time so we gotta draw "Stop Defense" to prevent him from playing any more defense!," Keith replied with a grin.

Jonouchi kept quiet and played another monster in defense mode. "Dragon Zombie" immediately kills it in no time.

"There's no way I can win... Yugi...!!"

"Yugi!! Please hurry...!!"

 ***Forest Area 11:07am***

Yugi suddenly felt a shout of help from deep within his heart. He knew his friends were in need of help right away and there was no time no waste.

"Jonouchi...! Usagi...!," Yugi thought, changing himself into Yami as if he was desperate to find his beloved friends.

After transforming, Yami grasped his Millennium Puzzle and began to observe what he was feeling from within it. The shouts helped him find a path where both Jonouchi and Usagi were located. The others where still shouting their names.

 ** _*Rmb Rmb Rmb*_**

"A cave..."

 ** _*Rmb Rmb Rmb*_**

"There they are...!'

Without a word, Yami began running toward the direction of the cave, leaving the others in confusion. They shrugged it off and followed Yami.

"Don't give up Jonouchi! There's always a way to win... no matter how bad it looks!"

Although they were far away from each other, Jonouchi and Usagi heard Yami's voice from their mind.

"J-Jonouchi... you heard his voice, didn't you?," Usagi whispered.

"I did... and... I must do everything I can to win!"

 _Yami... I'm glad you were able to comfort me at this very crucial moment I'm in. I promise to follow your words. Maybe... maybe the light of hope hasn't faded away just yet... So I have to reach for that light before it goes out...!_


	24. Duel of the Undead: Part 2

**_*TMP TMP TMP!*_**

The remaining friends were running down a lost path toward an unknown destination, not having a clue where they were going. Except for Yami. He knew where Jonouchi and Usagi could be, though he isn't sure if he's right.

"This way!," Yami shouted as he turned to the left, "We have to hurry!"

"Are you sure we're going the right way?," Honda huffed out.

"Do you know where those two are, Yami?," Anzu asked.

"No... Not exactly... But a vision flashed in my mind and both Jonouchi and Usagi are underground!"

After sprinting past a couple of battle boxes, they found themselves in a plain area of the forest. In front of them stood a big and dark cave, somehow making the group of friends shiver as a cold wind embraced them as soon as they entered. The wind didn't made them shiver with coldness but with fright.

"Jonouchi...! I'm coming!," Yami stated in his mind.

"To the cave guys! Jonouchi and Usagi has gotta be here!," Honda ordered, sprinting to the depths of the cave with everyone else following him.

While the friends were rushing to find them, Jonouchi was barely keeping up with the duel. Every monster he had played onto the field in defense mode have been slaughtered by the zombie army. One by one, getting killed like livestock. Usagi tried her best to encourage Jonouchi to keep playing the game with no worries after hearing Yami's message. He heard but didn't respond.

"Hahahaha! Why don't you give up already?," Kozuka laughed as he destroyed another monster, "You're not getting anywhere near winning! You can't beat me! Let alone the three of us!"

Jonouchi took a deep breath to control his focus. He then placed another card in defense position to stall Ghost Kozuka in the meantime.

"Jonouchi, please don't lose hope...," Usagi uttered anxiously, "I know Yugi will be here soon... Just try to do your best!"

He turned over and shrugged.

"I heard ya, Usako. I heard ya... But how can I possibly land an attack to those unbeatable zombies if they can't die...?," Jonouchi thought sadly.

Ghost Kozuka enjoyed watching his weak opponent slump in despair, having absolutely no chance of winning against him.

"Hahaha! Every turn you defend yourself, my zombies will keep growing with attack points, and you'll eventually run out of cards to play! You lose! Give up!!"

"Shit... he's got a point... I'm already half way through my deck and I can only keep defending myself with weak monsters. My hand doesn't have a single card to beat any of those zombies...!!"

Bandit Keith scoffed and fixed his sunglasses to get a better look at the failing duelist.

"Heh heh... How long can you delay the end, kid? I put a "Stop Defense" card in Kozuka's deck... Once he draw that card, it's all over for you...!!," he thought maliciously.

"It's my turn! I draw a new card!!," Kozuka announced happily as he drew his card.

 ** _*TADA!*_**

"Yes! It's the card I need to stop Jonouchi from playing anymore defense!"

"Oh no! It's that card!!," Usagi gasped in fear.

Ghost Kozuka giggled childly and placed the trap card on the back row, alerting Jonouchi it's the card he's been fearing throughout the entire duel.

"Hehehe! Go ahead and play another monster, Jonouchi! As soon as you do, it'll trigger my "Stop Defense" trap card, forcing you to change your monster into attack mode!!"

"Guh...!"

"And now for my attack...!! Go, "Dragon Zombie!" Kill his useless monster once more!!"

 ** _*MRAAA!!*_**

Another monster was sent to the graveyard in a pile of ashes. Was there really no way to kill the undead?

"Hahahaha!," Keith laughed with the others, "The moment you pronounce "defense," the card will activate and your boring stalling will be no more! No go ahead! Play your next card!"

"Yugi... where are you...?"

 ** _*RUSH!*_**

Jonouchi began have doubts fogging his mind, but thankfully his friends were rushing to him and Usagi as fast as they could before those thoughts actually affected his dueling spirit. They shouted their names endlessly and kept going through many tunnels in the dark cave.

"Jonouchi! Usagi! Where are you guys?," Anzu and Bakura hollered, hearing their voices echoing down the depths of the cave.

"Damn it! This cave is a literal maze! There's fork paths again!," Honda yelled in frustration.

"We have to find them!"

They chose a shallow tunnel but it only led them to a dead end. Anzu felt something hard as she took a step and it made a strange crunch sound. She stepped in one of the skulls of the cave.

 ** _*Crunch!*_**

"Eeek!! Th-Those skulls—they look so real! Wh-Where are we?!," Anzu shrieked.

"Crud! There's no way Jonouchi could be okay if he's stuck in a place like this! He could be dueling a cannibal caveman!," Honda stated, suddenly remembering that Usagi was with him too, "Aw fuck! That means Usagi isn't okay either! C'mon! We gotta find them pronto!"

As they rushed out of the tunnel, Yami couldn't stop thinking the kind of danger Jonouchi was in.

"Jonouchi...! Don't give up! If you rid yourself of doubt, a light will shine into the cave of your heart!"

 ** _Remember the promise we made! We all have someone important to save! Grandpa, Usagi's beloved mother... and Shizuka!_**

Jonouchi and Usagi gasped as they heard Yami's voice echo through their ears again.

"His voice...! It came to us again!," Usagi thought, feeling enlighten just by thinking of his words. "Yami..."

"Usagi..."

She looked down at Jonouchi after he whispered her name to see what was up. To her surprise, Jonouchi's courage had finally came back as soon as she saw the bravery in his eyes, flaming with spirit that wasn't going out anytime soon.

"Usagi... remember the promise we made?"

"Yes... of course..."

"Well, I'm not gonna break it! I'll fight for my friends and my little sister! I will do anything to protect those I cherish!!"

Jonouchi continued his turn and drew his next card.

"Just as long I have the will to lift these cards, I'm still in the game!!!"

 ** _*DA-DOOM!!*_**

"And my card is "Red-Eyes Black Dragon!!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon: ATK/2400 DEF/2000

Level: 7

The rare dragon emerged from the card, face to face with the "Great Pumpking." Everybody were totally off guard as the dragon appeared on the field with a strong force, similar to the one of "Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!"

"No fucking way! Where the hell did this kid get "Red-Eyes Black Dragon?!?," Keith blurted out in astonishment.

"Oh no! It's stronger than my "Pumpking!," Kozuka shrieked in fear.

"Heh... Now that I've came this far, I can't run away...," Jonouchi stated solemnly. "If I can't use my cards to defend, I'll go out in a blaze of glory!! Go, "Red-Eyes!!" Kill the pumpkin!! "Black Fire Bullet!!"

 ** _*BLAM!!*_**

"Long lives the king!!"

Ghost Kozuka: LP/900

"Tsk...! He managed to destroy my "Pumpking" with his dragon...! It was already undead to began with so the "Call of The Haunting" couldn't bring it back," Kozuka thought as he prepared for his next attack, "Feh... At least my zombies are strong enough to kill him! "Zombie Dragon!" Counter attack!!"

 ** _*MRAAA!!*_**

The grand entrance of "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" didn't last long because it was still defeated by the undead dragon. Jonouchi was devastated to see that even his best card was turn into waste.

"N-No... he got my best card...!!"

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/150

"Ahahaha! It's over, Jonouchi," Keith declared with a chuckle.

Jonouchi didn't believe this was happening. He tried searching for a card in his hand but he only had one monster with low attack and to make things worse, he couldn't play it in defense mode.

"What do I do...?! Out of the three cards I have on my hand, I only have one monster...!! It's a bummer I can't play it in defense position!"

 ** _*Tap Tap!*_**

"Jonouchi..."

"...Huh...?"

Usagi smiled slightly and gave a comforting look to calm Jonouchi.

"Jonouchi... you can get through this...!"

The others laughed at the two for still having faith in winning.

"Hahaha! Just admit, Jonouchi! There's no way for you to win!," Keith shouted, banging on the glass with his fist while laughing, "C'mon! Like they say in the wild west—"draw!!"

"Yeah! Play a card and die, loser!," Satake commented.

 ** _*BA DUM!*_**

"Loser...? Did you just call me a loser?," Jonouchi murmured angrily. "Grr... don't call me that! I'm not... I'm not a loser!"

 ** _*WSH!*_**

He drew his next card, for which was the one to end the entertainment of Ghost Kozuka and the crooks. Jonouchi was rather surprised to have drawn the right card in the right moment.

"Sword and Shield!" This is the card I needed! Wait a minute... although every one of those zombies are high in attack, they're weak in defense! I gotta play this card... This is my last gamble!," Jonouchi thought carefully as he played his final monster on the field. "Alright! I play "Kung Fu Fighter" in attack mode! And for my grand finale... "Sword and Shield!!" Your monsters and mine switch our attack with defense!!"

Kung Fu Fighter: ATK/700 DEF/1000

Level: 4

Sword and Shield: Magic Card

Effect: Switch the attack and defense of all face-up monsters on the field.

Bandit Keith's jaw dropped after Jonouchi had played the one card that'll end his ultimate strategy.

 ** _*RM RM RM*_**

Dragon Zombie (Undead): ATK/2880»0

Clown Zombie (Undead): ATK/2565»0

Armoured Zombie (Undead): ATK/2700»0

"Oh no!! My zombies—what happened to their attack points?!?!," Kozuka yelled with a horrified expression.

"Shit... The undead can't be killed... but they don't have brains to think! They don't bother T protect themselves which is why their defense is zero! They can only attack instinctively! Now their attack are zero...!!"

"N-No... they're all in attack position...!!"

"Your monsters aren't the only ones who're affected by the magic card! My monster also switches its attack and it's more than enough to defeat you, Kozuka!," Jonouchi declared. "Go, "Kung Fu Fighter!" Kill his zombie! "Ultimate Screw Knuckle!!"

Kung Fu Fighter: ATK/700»1000

 ** _*KAWHAM!!*_**

Ghost Kozuka: LP/0

Winner: Jonouchi Katsuya

"Fuck... they were all in attack mode and Kozuka took all that battle damage... Kozuka! You fucking moron! You lost!"

Jonouchi sighed with relief and was finally able to catch a breath after the intense atmosphere in the box had cleared off.

"Did I just... win?"

"Yes, you did, Jonouchi! You won!," Usagi exclaimed happily.

At last, the remaining friends have finally found the hidden battle box Jonouchi was in and sprinted their way there. Yami immediately checked on him to see if he was fine. Anzu ran up to Usagi and hugged her with all her might.

"Usagi! I'm so glad you're okay!," Anzu noted as she let go of her.

"Jonouchi! Are you okay? What happened?," Yami asked, desperate to know that he didn't lose.

Jonouchi smiled and gave a thumbs up to Yami. With just that smile, Yami knew he had won the duel.

"I won on my own, Yugi! It was just luck again..."

"That doesn't matter. What truly matters is that you guys are alright," Yami stated. "Jonouchi, you've proven yourself to be an excellent duelist without our help!"

The blonde stepped out of the battle box to greet his friends after not seeing them for so long.

"Man, you guys should've seen what kind of combo I managed to pull off! Guess Usako has to tell you guys about it."

"Yeah! It was marvelous! Jonouchi did every single move on his own! I was there only to cheer him on but for everything else, he did it by himself!"

"Say, Jonouchi...," Honda interrupted, "This streak of good luck is something you better think about man... Do you ever worry that, ever since you came to the island, you've used up your luck for your whole life?"

"What?! That can't be!"

"Hm. Jonouchi's victory can't be put down on "luck" or a "miracle." The desperation to win... the concern for his burden... That is the strength of a true duelist!," Yami pondered.

As the ganged kept talking, the crooks and Bandit Keith walked away in such a slugish way. They felt embarrassed for being beaten by someone who didn't have as much experience in dueling as them. Bandit Keith seemed like he could explode any minute now.

"Hey, Bandit Keith!!," Jonouchi shouted, making his voice echo down the long tunnel.

"Bandit Keith?! The prize hunter that use to be famous in America?!"

The boss turned over to them and gave them all a gravely glare.

"Jonouchi...," Honda murmured, "You got to fight with **these** guys...?"

"No... it wasn't like I accepted their challenge...," he replied quietly, "They shanghaied both me and Usagi down here! Like a pack of hyenas chasing their prey! They even punched me once!"

Bandit Keith felt slightly stunned to hear Usagi's name and now his attention was fully on her.

"Hm? Did you just say "Usagi?" You mean that girl was cheering you on was Usagi Tsukino!?," he asked in a shocking tone.

He stared intensely at her and she hid behind Bakura again.

"You! Are you really called Usagi?," he demanded fiercely.

"Hey! Lower your voice! That's no way to get a girl's attention! Especially if you're demanding for it!," Bakura shouted back as he covered Usagi.

"Yeah! What's your problem man?," Honda yelled.

Bandit Keith had to relax himself a little to make sure he didn't lose his shit. Usagi shyly walked out of Bakura's shadow and looked back at Keith.

"Yes, that's me..."

"Tsk... so you're that one duelist Pegasus has told me about after my defeat... That damn foreigner said he would love to see me go against some kid like you."

"What?! Pegasus told you that about me?"

"Well, if I'm saying it, then it's fucking obvious, isn't it? I knew there was something familiar about you during the duel. Feh. So "Usako" is only your nickname?"

"Uh, I guess so..."

"Heh. At least you don't seem as stupid as your lucky friend over there. That win was merely a miracle."

"Grr! Bandit Keith!," Jonouchi protested in anger. "If you call yourself a duelist, then you should play fair next time!!"

"Bitch! Don't fucking tell me how to play, you rascal!," Keith shouted back." Ha! Don't make me laugh with your "play fair" nonsense! Card games are all about outwitting your opponent! And that starts even **before** the game! So don't talk about shit you know nothing about!"

"Grr...!!"

"Tell me you're faking it, Jonouchi! Why don't you stop pretending to be a nice guy? Then the prizes and money will come your way! Like this!"

 ** _*BA BAM!*_**

Bandit Keith opened up his jacket to reveal more than several decks he had been carrying on the island. Everyone was shook to see crazy amount of cards the previous prize hunter had owned.

"N-No way! He's got ton of cards under his jacket!"

"That's right! Dragon decks, Warrior decks, Machine decks... you name it! Plus, every one of them have dozens of rare cards! I've got a deck to beat any poor sucker that fights me!"

"Bandit Keith... isn't there a rule for every duelist participating in the tournament to only carry forty cards?," Yami asked patiently.

"Yeah, I mean, you were allowed to trade in the pier... but when we made it to the island, the bodyguards checked everyone's decks and confiscated any extra cards," Usagi informed.

"Shut up! Let me break it to you-- I'm not officially in this tournament so that means the rules don't apply to me!"

"Grr... what a jerk...!!," Jonouchi brooded.

"There's only **one** rule that will apply to me... I'll do whatever it takes to get to Pegasus's castle! C'mon guys!"

The crooks began walking out of the cave in the dark path which seemed suddenly lighter than before. They stopped their tracks when Yami called them out.

"Bandit Keith! The duelists' pride is the rule on this island! Remember that..."

"Ha! Don't make me laugh, you goth baby! Haw haw haw haw!!"

Jonouchi held back his fist to prevent a scene from happening. Simply saying how much he was pissed off just wasn't enough to cool himself down.

"Grr...! I seriously want to beat that guy up! I would've said the same thing but he's too strong! I gotta get stronger!"

After the crooks have left the scene, the gang decided it was time for them to leave to. At least it didn't seem as dark than before so they could walk more carefully this time.

 ** _*Tmp Tmp Tmp*_**

"I'm so glad we're getting out of this cave! I hate dark places!," Anzu noted.

"Yeah. I can't wait to breathe some fresh air," Usagi added with a sigh. "Anyways, Jonouchi already got two more star chips!"

"Hell yeah! I've got eight star chips and Yami has six so maybe if we win our next duels, we'll both have ten star chips!," Jonouchi exclaimed.

"Then let's win those duels, Jonouchi!," Yami proclaimed.

 ** _*Tmp Tmp Tmp*_**

"Hm... The exit should be this way if I remember correctly," Bakura stated.

"Yeah, I think we take a right turn here," Honda responded.

And there is was. The way out of the tedious cave stood in front of them. Just a couple of steps to go to reach outside.

"There it is! The way out!"

Jonouchi ran toward the opening with his arms wide open.

"Oh sunlight! Lemme feel your warm embrace!"

 ** _*RM RM RM*_**

"What the—?!"

"The exit—it's getting blocked!!"

Just outside of the cave, Bandit Keith made his minions push a giant boulder onto the exit to make sure the pack of friends wouldn't come out. The crooks thought it was too far but they had to obey their boss.

"C'mon, put some muscle into it!," he demanded strictly. "This is the only way out of the cave! They might as well stay down there forever! Hahahaha!"

He peeked into the small gap to check on the scared teenagers fro the last time.

"Yo, losers!"

"B-Bandit Keith?! What the hell do you think you're doing?!," Jonouchi shouted.

"Heh heh... if the "law of the island" is to win with duels... then **my** law is to win like this!!"

"Grr...!!"

"Now that I'm this close to the castle, all of you will just get in my way! So you guys can stay in this cave! Don't worry! Someone will find you eventually, of course, but it'll take a few years! Hahahaha!"

"That scumbag... Bandit Keith! I'm going to beat you!!"

"Ha! Scream all you want! Later, "champ!"

 ** _*KERBOOM!*_**

The exit was closed permanently and the cave had gotten darker.

"You no good jerk! I'll get you, even if I have to dig my way out! Just you wait...!"

After the exit was shut, the crooks panted. None of them were prepared for what was about to happen next with their angered boss.

"Phew... we did...," Sid huffed out.

"Yeah... but don't you think that was too much, boss...?," Kozuka wondered.

"Feh! There's nothing wrong with that!," Keith shouted. "Now... the next order of business..."

 ** _*WHAMM!*_**

Bandit Keith striked down Kozuka with a kick onto his chest.

"Thanks a lot for losing against that moron you fucker!!"

"B-But... I just... played the cards how you told me...!"

 ** _*BAM! WHAMM!*_**

Bandit Keith kicked Kozuka's chin way up high and then punched him down on the guts.

"Then why'd you lose!?! Moron!!"

"Urgh..."

"You lost you're star chips so you aren't good for anything! Just die!!"

"K-Keith..."

Sid and Satake backed away a little, staring down at Kozuka as he was beaten up. After Bandit Keith finished his beating, he looked over at the two crooks.

"You two! How many star chips do you guys have?"

"Uh, I got five..."

"Yeah, me too..."

The boss grinned sinisterly.

"It's enough for one person, isn't it?"

"..."

"I'll take those star chips from you two!"

"What—?!"

"Listen you nerds! You guys only got this far because of Bandit Keith!!"

The two hesitated but gave away their star chips to him to avoid any violence.

"All right... That's a good boy... and give me your glove while you're at it!"

Bandit Keith collected their star chips and wore the glove to make him look like a participant of the tournament. He also place his ten star chips on the glove, making him officially the first duelist to gain entrance to the castle.

"Hehehe... these guys have just about outlived their usefulness... right on schedule...," Keith thought. "Now I have ten star chips! I didn't even have to soil my hands on a stupid duel! Pegasus, you better prepare yourself to get your ass kicked by Bandit Keith!!"

 ** _*BOOM! POW! BEAT!*_**

The crooks were still beat up after surrendering their star chips to their "boss." That duelist doesn't know how to play fair in any matter.

Meanwhile, our heroes were trying their very best to push out the boulder. Unfortunately, they didn't have very much strength left so they gave up eventually.

"C'mon! Just one more push guys!," Jonouchi pleaded as he placed his hands onto the boulder.

"Leave it alone, Jonouchi. It's not gonna move, no matter how hard we push," Honda stated sadly. "Looks like we better find another way out of here."

"Hm. The left passage leads us to the battle box Jonouchi was in but after that, it's just a dead end. If we were on the surface, the right passage would lead us to the direction of the castle...," Bakura explained.

"Wow, Bakura... you sure got some pretty good sense of... O-Oh... you're using the Millennium Ring...?," Anzu uttered, taking a small step back from the cursed ring.

"Yeah..."

 ** _*RM RM RM*_**

"Hm..."

"What is it, Usagi? You seem awfully quiet. Is... something the matter?"

"Uh? Oh, no... I just felt something strange from that ring of yours, Bakura. Don't worry about it though..."

"Okay..."

Honda and Jonouchi proceeded to walk in front of the gang to lead them to the other exit of the cave. Jonouchi turned on the latern Mai had given them to brighten up the passage.

"Let's take the right passage for now... We probably won't get lost as long as the Millennium Ring keeps working..."

"Yeah. It's a good thing Mai gave us this latern or else we would've been walking in the dark!"

Jonouchi took the lead and began walking with everyone else following him. It was unsure how long the group of friends were going to take to find the exit but they'll find it for sure. Aside from Bandit Keith, there was three possible duelists who are almost good enough to qualify for the finals. Will they make it out of the cave in time?

"Wow... I wasn't expecting so many things to happen here...," Usagi murmured as she walked behind Yami and in front of Anzu, "All of this took me by surprise..."

"Well, I can understand that. You've been hidden from the world for quite a long time," Yami comment quietly.

"Yes, and to be honest... I was afraid to actually be here..."

"Really? Why?," Anzu wondered.

"Remember when I said there was many duelists longing to see me? I didn't mean only the participants but... also Pegasus... I couldn't believe I actually met up with Kaiba again after so many years of not seeing each other..."

"Hey, now that I think about it, why didn't you tell us that Kaiba was an old friend of yours?," Jonouchi asked.

"I... I didn't want to bring him up. I didn't think it was time..."

"Not to be rude or anything but it would've been better if you said something. I know you're still trying to get use to the world but at least we're trustworthy friends. You can tell us."

Usagi smiled and shook her head.

"I'm sorry but after seeing how much you hated Kaiba, I couldn't really encourage myself to talk about him..."

"Yeah, but he's a big jerk! Kaiba did some terrible things to us before he fell into a coma!"

"...Are your referring to the Death-T Games?"

"Yeah! I've got some things to settle with Kaiba! If only you saw—!"

 ** _*Bump!*_**

Honda stopped all of the sudden and made the gang fumbled their steps as they bumped into each other.

"Hey! What the heck, Honda! What's the hold up?"

"Something's wrong here. We've gone pretty far... but there doesn't appear to be an exit anywhere."

"You're right. This tunnel keeps getting narrower by every step we're taking," Usagi pointed out as she looked around the cave. "This wall was bumpy earlier... now it's all smooth, like a stone wall!"

"Wait—then that could mean—!"

"We're in a maze!"

The gang followed each other so no one would get lost in the mysterious maze. Eventually, they all were able to find a way out of it but it wasn't the exit of the cave. As they stood out of the maze, they found themselves a strange room that was connected with the maze. On the ground, there was two symbols that meant "meikyû," which translates to "labyrinth." The same symbols also appeared on the walls and two different doors from the end of the room. The room was quite... strange, but at least it was brighter than the entire cave. To finalize the details of the room, a table with four chairs stood in the middle.

"What the—what is this place?!"

 ** _*Whoosh! Whoosh!*_**

"Hm...! Someone's here...!"

Two unknown men jumped into the scene and leaped up in such a fantastic way which could only be seen in an action movie.

"Wh-What are these guys?!! They're out of a Hong Kong movie!," Jonouchi blurted out.

Both fell flat on their feet and stood tall as a statue. The twins wore similar kung fu outfits and distinguished themselves through the color of their clothing. The first one had the part of the symbol on their forehead which was "mei" and they wore an orange outfit. The second one had the other part of the symbol on their forehead as well which was "kyû."

"We are the guards of the dungeon... the Meikyû Brothers!!," the twins announced in a fair manner.

"The Meikyû Brothers...?!," Usagi uttered.

The twins observed their new visitors and scoffed.

"Hmm... What have we here, brother? Six lost travelers, in a maze?," Kyû wondered.

"Who knows, brother? It wouldn't be a maze if people didn't get lost!," Mei responded.

Yami carefully studied their appearance and noticed both had duel gloves.

"They have duel gloves as well...! Are they Player Killers...?," he thought.

"Have you come to ask us, lost travelers? To find the right path..."

"To find the right door..."

"You must face us in a duel!!," the brothers proclaimed.

They made way for them to enter and showed them the special duel table. The table resembled the room with its two grand doors.

"Now...," Kyû stated, "May the two duelists please step forward! This duel will be an unorthodox two-on-two fight!"

"Two-on-two? A Duel Monsters tag team match?!"

"Beat us and you'll learn the right way..."

"...But run and you'll be lost in the path of darkness forever!"

With Jonouchi and Yami being the ones who needed the star chips, they both stepped forward as they were ordered.

 _If we don't win this duel, we won't be able to get out of this tunnel!_

"Jonouchi! Looks like we got no choice!," Yami declared.

"Yeah! Bring it on, Mario Brothers!," Jonouchi announced.

"Then... enter the Labyrinth field!"

The four duelists took their seats; The Meikyû Brothers took the seats with the gates in front of them.

"So this is the field... but where's the labyrinth...?," Yami thought suspiciously. "In the back rows, there's two door with "mei" and "kyû" written on them... so each one of them guard one door... One of these doors must lead to the surface! In other words, we have to beat the brothers to get out of here!"

"Wager your star chips, duelists!"

"I'll bet two!," Jonouchi declared as he placed his star chips on the table.

"And I bet four! That makes six star chips in total we're betting!," Yami pointed out. "Let's do this Jonouchi! If we win this, we'll have enough star chips to enter the castle! We have to catch up with Usagi!"

"You bet! I ain't lettin' anything get to me this time!"

"Not so fast...! We are the Player Killers of the Labyrinth! We've received orders from Mr. Pegasus to make sure your journey ends here!!," the Meikyû Brothers stated. "Now to start this duel, I shall play the "Labyrinth!!"

A maze arose from the ground and topped the entire field. Yami and Jonouchi were shocked to see the type of game they were about to play with these two strange duelists. Nevertheless, Yami and Jonouchi knew better than to give up in a fight. They had to win for the sake of their friends, and to catch up with Usagi who had already collected ten star chips a while ago.

 _Now this truly is an unknown duel!!_


	25. The Mystified Labyrinth of Doom

**_*BA_** ** _DOOM!*_**

Many surprising duels have taken place right away in the second day of the tournament. The few remaining duelists are fighting with all their might to win a spot in the final, not knowing that they're also risking their lives to do so. With Jonouchi defeating the haunting Ghost Kozuka in the tedious cave, he's a few star chips away from collecting all ten of them. Unfortunately for the gang, the rude Bandit Keith had trapped them down in the cave to avoid any kind of interaction between the three duelists.

At this moment, Jonouchi and Yami are going up against the Meikyû Brothers, two assassins that were hired by Pegasus to make sure Yugi doesn't get to the castle easily. The brothers were found in a mysterious room in the dark cave, patiently waiting for their next victims to get trapped in their dungeon. It was up to Yami and Jonouchi to duel them in a tag duel in order to escape the room. The duel had just begun.

"Now that I have played the "Labyrinth," allow me to explain the rules of this tag duel," Kyû stated as he ended his turn. "All of us start with 2000 life points. But your life is tied with your partner's! If one player loses all their life points, both partners die—and both lose!"

"Crap... I have to hold my end of the rope to not let Yugi down...!," Jonouchi remarked in his mind.

"We alternate turns, one player on each team."

"And now about this "Labyrinth" field..."

"...we shall explain how to play!"

"To make it simple, think of your monsters as chess pieces. If the monster is in attack position, they can advance as many spaces per turn as the number of stars representing the level of that one monster."

"I see...," Yami uttered, "If you win a battle, your "pieces" can advance into the dungeon..."

"If you can survive the dungeon and beat us gate keepers, you're allowed to open one of the two doors," Kyû informed.

"But which one will you choose?," Mei questioned.

" **Mei** , the door of deception...?"

"Or **Kyû** , the door of the palace...?"

Jonouchi looked at both doors but couldn't figure out the difference between them.

"So only one of these doors will lead us to the surface...? Which door do we head for...!?"

Yami shook his head. Jonouchi didn't seem comfortable with his response.

"Of course we'll do our best to guard our doors!," Kyû pointed out.

"We are the gate keepers of the dungeon after all!," Mei replied.

"Hey! Hey! Hold on a sec! You're playing with our lives here! So even if we do win, there's only a 50-50 chance we survive! That's bullshit!," Jonouchi hollored angrily as he pointed at the brothers. "At least give us a clue on which one's the right door!"

"Very well...," they responded.

"Then from now on, one of us will always tell the truth..."

"...And one of us will always lie!"

"Hm. That better be the truth...," Yami noted solemnly.

"Of course it is!," Kyû replied.

 ** _*Zm Zm Zm!*_**

"Now that we've established that, let me give you some friendly advice... my **Kyû** door is the correct door!"

"No, no, no... my **Mei** door is the one that'll lead you out of here!"

"Hee hee...!"

Jonouchi grasped onto his cards a little tighter.

"Shit... how're we gonna know which one's lying...?," he thought anxiously, "...Wait a second! I've heard of a riddle somehow like this before! If I remember correctly, I think it went like this...!"

 _"The man wanted to go to Honest Town, but he could only ask one question... A man stood at the crossroads between Honest Town and Liar Town. A villager came to the crossroads but the man didn't know which town he came from... What did he ask?"_

"I know...!"

 _"He said, "Take me to your town!" If he's honest, he takes you back to **his** owntown! However, if he's lying, he'll take you to the other town... Honest Town!"_

"Hey, you guys! You gotta answer our questions!," Jonouchi obligated.

"Very well... we'll answer one question from each of you...," Mei replied calmly.

"Did Jonouchi already figured something out...?," Usagi mumbled from the entrance.

"I sure hope he did...," Anzu muffled.

Jonouchi turned over with a humble smile, thinking that he somewhat had an idea of which door was the correct one. Yami took a quick glance at Jonouchi and all he did was give a small smile that quickly faded away.

"Whatsa matter, Yugi? I got it right... right?"

"Hm. Depending on how you look at it, your answer is logically correct... but... should we take their words to face value...? Hehehe... I'm a cautious man...!"

"Huh? What do you mean? If one's honest and the other is the liar, they should've answered the question..."

"No... I'm saying it dangerous to compare this situation with "Honest Town Riddle!" First of all, there's only one villager in the riddle... and we're facing two! Our two villagers clearly stated that one of them will always be honest while the other will always be lying! However, that itself is suspicious! If one of them are lying, then both should be claiming they're honest! There's even a possibility that both are lying!"

"Whoa...!"

"... It's not even certain that there's a town at the end of the road! Perhaps the road leads off to a cliff...?"

The Meikyû brothers seemed impressed by Yugi's point of view differing from Jonouchi's. Usagi had no words to describe how intelligent he was for quickly solving the riddle for the situation they were in.

"But in any case, let's play...," Yami continued.

 **[Game Resume]**

As the game resumed, Yami selected to play "Beaver Warrior" is his first turn.

"Okay! Since my "Beaver Warrior" is a level four monster, I move four spaces into the labyrinth!"

 ** _*T-Tmp T-Tmp!*_**

"And I believe that ends my turn!"

Just before the opponent's turn begun, Yami quickly observed the strange labyrinth they had to roam through in the duel.

"There's quite a distance between us and the enemy... it seems like the battle will be concentrated somewhere in the middle of the game..."

Mei chuckles as he starts his turn.

"Hehehe... I know what you're thinking... and you're wrong! I will teach you the terror of this labyrinth!!"

 ** _*FWP!*_**

"For my turn, I'll start off by playing the magic card, "Polymerization!" I fuse my "Shadow Ghoul" with the board itself!!"

"What the—?!! He's fusing his monster with the walls?!?!," Usagi blurted in surprise.

The ghoul combined with the ancient labyrinth walls and soon enough, no trace was left of the beast.

"What the—!?! Where'd it go??!," Jonouchi shouted, switching his sights back and forth frantically.

"Hehehe... Here it comes!!," Mei declares evilly.

Although the panicking blonde couldn't spot the ghoul, Yami quickly noticed a speeding shadow going directly where his "Beaver Warrior" stood. How could the monster nearly invisible after fusing with another?

 ** _*SHA SHA SHAAA!!!*_**

"It's too fast! It's closing on "Beaver Warrior!!" There's no escape!," Yami thought worriedly.

"Hahahaha! Go my monster! Slaughter that hopeless pest!!"

 ** _*SLASH!!*_**

Yugi Muto: LP/1600

"Guh... The shadow attacks its enemy by scurrying through the walls and striking it down from behind like a murderer! This is bad...!!"The ghoul had appeared once more, slashing the beaver from behind, making its virtual blood splattering against the walls. Usagi couldn't believe how powerful the ghoul had become after being fused with a maze. She never experienced anything like this before, especially since she didn't have much knowledge to new technology that exists.

"That can be... How will Yami and Jonouchi be able to strike something that's not even there...??!"

"This can't be good...," Honda uttered.

"Even though I'm no duelist, this definitely looks like a bad situation for those two," Bakura commented quietly.

"Yeah, but they'll pull through this, eventually!," Anzu added with a optimistic tone. "We can't have our doubts just yet!"

The brothers chuckled from behind the maze in the thought of Yugi's friends being any help in this duel.

"Hehehe... now do you see? The wall shadow can instantly intercept any for that dares to take a step into the deep labyrinth! Nothing can escape from its blades!," Mei announced with an unsettling smirk. "You two are as good as trapped within this beast's embrace! You'll never get out of here alive!"

"Cut the crap jester! It's my turn!," Jonouchi interrupted confidently. "I'm gonna summon "Axe Raider" to the field, along with setting a card face-down!"

Axe Raider: ATK/1700 DEF/1150

Level: 6

"Now then, I'll make sure to keep my distance from whatever is hiding in that maze, so I won't be moving in this turn!"

"Good thinking, Jonouchi! We'll have to make sure we both can come up with a strategy strong enough to destroy that ghoul!," Yami pondered.

The rest of the gang sighed from relief, thankful that Jonouchi didn't lose life points in his first turn.

"I sure hope he doesn't do anything stupid...," Anzu murmured stressfully.

"Yep. Any wrong moves and we're fucked," Honda added on.

"Don't worry guys. I'm sure Yami will be able to back Jonouchi up when it's necessary," Usagi contributed, "I know Jonouchi will do the same for his friend."

"Yeah, you got a point. However, since this is a tag-team duel, the opponent will most certainly be targeting the weaker partner, thus, making that Jonouchi. They will concentrate on taking him down instead," Honda replied.

"Yes, I suppose you're correct. But... I know Jonouchi will help... I just know so...!"

 ***Pegasus's Castle***

 ** _*Tap...Tap...Tap*_**

"Are they here yet, Croquet?"

"Yes, Mr. Pegasus. They're being guided by one of your guards and currently walking towards the halls of the entrance."

"Hm. Very well. You're dismissed."

"Understood."

Pegasus patiently waited for a special guest that arrived to his castle a while back for an important meeting. This time, Pegasus called back his special guest to have a chat regarding the tournament. He has some specific questions about the event that only the guest can answer with complete honesty.

After a couple of minutes, the guest finally shows up to the grand dining room with Pegasus sitting at the end of the beautiful well-made table. The guest took a few steps into the room and gazed around for a bit until their eyes met with his.

"Please, take a seat," he offered with a kind smile.

The guest calmly declined.

"It's alright, Pegasus J. Crawford. I'm only here to answer some questions you may have about your fine tournament."

"Hm. Well, you did know that before I gave you call, right?"

"I was quite aware of it. Also, I am in no need of any kind of assistance when I arrive to your home. I know every area of this castle like the back of my hand."

"Marvelous! Your abilities are absolutely outstanding! Such divination isn't possible for many people in the world."

"Remember, I'm not the one with such sorcery. It's the sacred artifact."

"Ah yes. I'm well aware, but I know you're capable of those practices as well."

Pegasus stood up from his velvet-leathered chair and walked up to the wide thin windows, feeling the need to sense if Yugi and his friends were having trouble underground. Seems like the Meikyû Brothers were doing an excellent job so far. The guest followed and stood besides him, looking down as well.

"Mr. Pegasus, although I already know the questions that you're going to ask me, I'm here to answer them."

"Hm. I knew that. Please answer them right away."

The guest nodded in agreement and began roaming around the dining room to feel comfortable as they are speaking.

"Sadly, Usagi's mother, Ikuko, hasn't been feeling well for the past two days. She's been worsening by every hour, but doctors of Industrial Illusions haven't found a cause of this particular illness. They're carrying her life in their hands, yet it's strange how they can't point out the diagnosis."

"It really is. The medics of my company are very well-trained and educated so I wonder how a mysterious sickness can bewilder their strong minds," Pegasus stated as he put his arms behind his back, "Do you seem to recognize any of the symptoms?"

"Yes. Miss Ikuko is coughing and usually falling into unconsciousness, according to what the doctors have reported. She keeps telling them that she probably has a small fever and doesn't need to be treated carefully. The docs obviously doubted it was a regular fever. The fever must've been really high, but to their surprise, Ikuko's temperature is normal... I don't think it'll be possible for her to get any better soon."

"How long do you think she'll... last?"

"I'm sorry to say this, but I believe she only had a few days left after the end of this tournament..."

Pegasus slowly took his sight away from outside and began walking back and forth, concern about the situation.

"Poor Lady Tsukino. She's going through a hard time and she knows nothing about this. I'll make sure my doctors watch after her at all times."

The guest walked out of the dining room and stopped at the entrance, waiting for Pegasus to follow them.

"Aren't you going to show me something nextdoor? I do know that's where you want me to answer your question about the strange set up of the finals."

"Ah yes. Forgive me for being behind. I do hope you'll provide me with genuine answers."

"I'll try."

 **[Game Resume]**

As we bring our attention back to the duel, the ghoul of the maze has been defeated. With Jonouchi activating "Kunai with Chain," he binded the ghoul with chains of metal, allowing Yami to attack with his "Celtic Guardian" and at that spot the monster has been killed. Even with great fall of a strong foe, the Meikyû Brothers still has their "Labyrinth Tank," waiting to crush their enemy into a corner. This is just the beginning.

"Nnhh...!"

Mei Brother: LP/1700

"Hell yeah bring it on! We're on the winning path so far Yugi!!," Jonouchi yelled victoriously. "We're the ultimate tag-team! We'll bust through this labyrinth like wrecking ball!"

"Yeah!," Yami agreed thoughtfully.

Everyone else outside of the duel cheered for the two duelists.

"Alright! Way to go you two!"

"You can do it man!"

"Did you guys see that? Jonouchi played a trap card to help Yugi!"

"I'm glad he's actually thinking. Jonouchi, seems like you're finally getting a hang of this game!"

The Meikyû Brothers had nothing to say to the positive remarks, but instead continued the game.

"Let the game continue!!," the brothers announced.

"Then be it! I'm on it!," Jonouchi replied as he drew his card. "Okay! So at this moment, I only got "Axe Raider" on the board. I need more pieces to support Yugi!"

 ** _*SHWOO!*_**

"For my turn, I'll be summoning, "Flames Swordsman!!"

Flames Swordsman: ATK/1800 DEF/1600

Level: 6

"Next, I'll be moving forward to the maze and stay close behind "Celtic Guardian!" Now that "Axe Raider" used the kunai as a surprise attack, it becomes just a normal weapon... but that still means it boosts its attack by 500 points!!"

Axe Raider: ATK/1700»2200 (Power Boost)

"With that done, I end my turn!"

"My turn shall began!," Mei shouted. "Labyrinth Tank," attack!!"

Labyrinth Tank: ATK/2400 DEF/2400

Level: 7

 ** _*VRRRR!!*_**

The massive tank started to roam down the first few tiles of the maze before taking a turn where it would eventually lead to the opponent's monsters.

"Hehehe...! You children really think that the tank is the only thing you have to worry about?Hehe! The "Trapdoor Spider" is waiting for to fall into its web! Once you step into it, there's no way out!!"

The brother ended his turn with a malicious smile. Yami was already aware of the traps that could possibly be anywhere around the labyrinth. Extra caution is an important factor for their plan.

"It my turn!!," he yelled.

 ** _*FWP!*_**

"Dangit! If only we can jump over those lousy walls, we'd be outta here in no time!," Jonouchi whined.

"That's not possible, Jonouchi. Flying monsters aren't suitable for closed areas like the labyrinth! We may not see it, but in actuality, the setting is a dark dungeon with a stone ceiling. There's nowhere to fly!"

"B-But my "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" is a flying monster...!!"

"Correct. Dragons are no good for this type of setting. Ground units can interact with this kind of field better like Warrior, Beast-Warriors Spellcasters... For now, we have to move forward one step at a time!"

 ** _*DOOM!*_**

"However, this is another way... I play "Black Magician" in attack mode!!"

Black Magician: ATK/2500 DEF/2100

Level: 7

"My magician will be joining with the rest of our monsters, thus leaving no openings for the brothers to mount a sneak attack! Now, what will you do, Meikyû Brothers?"

Kyû observed their movements and knew what their strategy was to defend themselves throughout the dungeon.

"Ah, so you're planning to get through the dungeon by sheer force of numbers...? Not if I can help it!"

 ** _*BA DOOM!*_**

"I play "Magic Labyrinth!!"

 ** _*BRM BRMM!*_**

The field started to rumble and the walls of the labyrinth shifted to different directions, leaving the two duelists confused about what's happening. After the table suddenly stopped, the maze has changed entirely and left a wall between Jonouchi's and Yami's monsters.

"Shit... Now there's a wall between our pieces!"

"Damnit! They split our group to prevent us from working together!"

"HAHAHA! Both of your pieces are now isolated! With that wall between you and your friend, you can't help each other, even if your lives are at stake!," Kyû laughed. "Now it's time to get down to the real tag-team business... picking on the weaker partner! **Him**!"

Jonouchi took a scared gulp and started his turn. Now that their plan has been ruined, he was on his own for the time being.

"Okay! I'm gonna go!," he stated confidently.

 ** _*FWP!*_**

"I'd have to take a big detour if I wanna get back with Yami... Guess I'll have to leave him alone and I gotta go through this maze by myself... Looks like it's just us fighters!!"

Jonouchi's pieces walked forward cautiously.

 ** _*Tmp! Tmp*_**

"Hm..."

 ** _*Tmp!*_**

"I got you! Trap card activate! The trapdoor spider attacks!!"

"What—!?"

Jirai Gumo: ATK/2100 DEF/100

Level: 4

An enormous tarantula broke into the surface above and snatched "Axe Raider" with its sharp metal legs. It sunk its legs into the prey to make it suffer with undesirable pain before ripping it apart.

 ** _*RIP! SNAP!*_**

"Now that's the end for the mighty raider!"

"Aw crap...!"

Jonouchi Katsuya: LP/1600

"Hang in there, Jonouchi!," Yami shouted.

"Don't let that one attack bring you down just yet!," Usagi added.

Kyû scoffed.

"Enough with that! He fell like a pile of bricks! It won't be long until his pieces are all killed!," he noted. "It's my turn! My "Labyrinth Tank" moves!"

 ** _*VRMM! VRMM!*_**

"Hehehe... the "Flames Swordman" is within range of my piece! One more turn and it'll be dead!"

"Guh...! My warrior isn't nearly as powerful as either of his monsters! Looks like he really is dead...," Jonouchi uttered disappointingly.

"Hey! You can't say that!," Anzu shouted anxiously. "Don't give up hope!"

"But he's right!," Mei murmured quietly. "Yugi's "Black Magician" can't interfere with the wall in his way! That swordsman is as good as dead!"

 ** _*FMP!*_**

"Let's move on to me now, shall we? It's my turn after all," Yami suggested. "Hehe... so you think you'll win simply by picking on the weaker partner? It doesn't work that way for this tag-team!"

"Hm?"

"The card I will use for this turn is... "Mystic Box! The Magic Boxes of Death!" I'll make a combination with my magician!!"

"Wha-What's this!!? A combo?!"

 ** _*BA DUM!*_**

A large coffin-like box magically appeared and the "Black Magician" entered it. As soon as it did, the door slammed shut.

"The magician went into the box just like that..."

 ** _*SHING!*_**

"And there's swords too...?!"

 ** _*SHLUCK!!*_**

"What?! The swords stabbed the box! Did he killed himself?," Kyû wondered.

"Wait, no! Look! There's another box on the other side of the wall! In the space where... the trapdoor spider was!," Mei pointed out.

 ** _*Creeek!*_**

"?!! The box is opening!"

There, the box revealed the tarantula pierced with several swords. "Black Magician" surprised them with his approach to prove he indeed was still alive.

"It can't be! The one who died was the spider!!?"

"Now do you get it? The magician teleported using the box! Not only did it get rid of the tarantula, but I'm face to face with your "Labyrinth Tank!," Yami stated loudly. "Black Magician!" Cast your spell among your foe! "Black Magic!"

 ** _*Z-GAM!!!*_**

"Gah...!!"

Mei Brother: LP/1600

"Sorry to wreck your plan! The power of teamwork... will overcome any wall!"


	26. Information

I've been on hiatus for quite a while and I'm so very sorry to those who were waiting to read the next chapter. Can't tell you much about what happened, but it revolves around my family. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, I now have plenty of time to continue my story for all you readers. Please be safe and cautious about this illness! I'll happily provide you with more chapters to keep you busy if you're bored and got nothing to do!


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